A Shelter From My Storm (Part 1)
by teresa
Summary: A Vegeta and Bulma get together romance with that Vegeta attitude we love.
1. Default Chapter Title

Hello all! Teresa here. This is my first fanfic, though I've got two others in the works. This is just the one that I finished first. My story is hentai free, although at times some things are suggested, thus the rating. I wrote this story because I never really agreed with other conceptions of how Vegeta and Bulma got together, so I decided to figure out for myself how such a thing could have happened. Not to say that I'm more correct than anyone else; only the all-knowing Akira Toriyama could possibly say with any amount of certainty _what_ happened. And speaking of the great Toriyama, these characters are his, not mine. Though I'm sure he's made a whole lot of money off of them, I've made…nothing. If you want to sue me anyway, go ahead, but you'd get more money if you sued my stinking older brother who _still_ owes me $300. Pay me back, dangit! I need that money too! Oh well, on with the story.

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A Shelter From My Storm

Part One

Vegeta toweled himself down and pulled his dark blue bodysuit back on. He had been training all day and was quite hungry, so he was headed to the kitchen before calling it a night.

"What was that?!" Bulma shouted as he opened the fridge. Vegeta looked up, startled, thinking she must be in one of her moods again and was mad at him for some silly, female reason.

"No, I heard a _voice_, Yamcha!" she yelled. Vegeta scowled in disapproval as he realized she was talking with her weak, human boyfriend again. He disregarded the shouts that were coming from upstairs as he drank a glass of milk quickly and poured another.

"No, it was _not_ Puar!" she argued, "And don't try that 'it was the T.V.' thing on me again!" Vegeta began eating his sandwich as he listened casually. It was all rather amusing. Though this Yamcha was weak compared to Vegeta himself, Bulma was no match for that human's power. Yet he was obviously afraid of her. Vegeta wondered why. It was almost as ridiculous as Kakarot being frightened of his mate.

"It was a girl, wasn't it, Yamcha?" her voice was softer now, and she was obviously on the verge of tears. Vegeta snorted disdainfully. Silly Earth woman. Crying was for the weak. She was not injured. There was no excuse for her whimpering.

"Yamcha, how many times have we been through this?" she sobbed. Vegeta finished his sandwich and began a piece of pie he had found.

"You _promised_ me this wouldn't happen again!" she tried to shout, though she was still crying. "But why Yamcha?!" she sniffed loudly. Vegeta curled his lip up in disgust. Sniveling was no way for her to secure that human's attentions. Vegeta hated that sound.

"Am I just not good enough for you?" she cried. Vegeta bit viciously into an apple. "Well if that's the way you feel about me, why do you keep cheating on me?" she asked as her sobs subsided.

"Well I don't CARE if you FEEL like you're under PRESSURE!!" she screeched, startling Vegeta into spilling a bit of the milk he was drinking. "I'M under PRESSURE TOO!! Do you see ME with ANOTHER MAN?!!" Vegeta grinned slightly in approval. Bulma was behaving like a Saiyan female now. That was the way to get what she wanted from her weak boyfriend.

"NO!!" she screamed, "I DO NOT SLEEP WITH THAT MAN!!!" she was obviously enraged. "BECAUSE HE HATES ME, I HATE HIM, AND HE'S A COMPLETE JERK!!!!" she screamed. Vegeta winced slightly. He didn't envy Yamcha now, seeing as how the human could probably hear that woman's screams even better than Vegeta could. He wondered who Yamcha thought that woman was sleeping with. This was quite entertaining.

"Well you know what Yamcha?" her voice was barely audible now, but cold as ice. Vegeta's eyes went wide in surprise. He had never heard her this angry before. An involuntary chill went up his spine, but he continued to listen. "I'd sooner sleep with Vegeta himself than ever think about being with you in that way again. You are worse than him. At least he doesn't pretend to care. We're through. Goodbye." She hung up. Vegeta felt a moment or two of discomfiture as he heard her walking down the stairs into the living room. But he quickly put on his usual smirk as she entered the kitchen and paused, shocked at his presence. She shrugged after a moment and continued on to the sink, getting herself a glass of water. Her face was tired and expressionless with red, wet eyes and cheeks from crying.

"So, I guess this means that weak human of yours won't be visiting for a week or so." Vegeta laughed at the look of shock on her face as she realized he had heard her.

"His name is Yamcha and he'll never be visiting again." She spit the words out. Bulma felt embarrassed. How much of that had he been able to hear? "You know, here on Earth, we try not to eavesdrop on others. It's called being polite. It's one of our customs." She shot at him.

"Silly Earth woman." Vegeta sneered, his arms crossed. "I wouldn't waste time eavesdropping on _your_ meaningless drivel. I couldn't help but hear it, you speak so loud."

Bulma simply glared at him, trying to come up with a good come back. Damn him. He could always argue so much better than her.

"So," Vegeta flashed a wicked grin as he decided to play his trump card, "you would sooner sleep with me than that weak boyfriend of yours?"

"H-His name is Yamcha!" Bulma sputtered in completely flustered rage.

"Yes," Vegeta narrowed his eyes thoughtfully, ignoring her weak comment, "makes sense, actually." He shot her a sly look, "I'm obviously more of a man than that weakling will ever be."

"Vegeta!!" Bulma pleaded, hoping he would stop. She was so upset now that she couldn't think of anything else to say.

"Poor woman." Vegeta smirked in mock pity, "I'm afraid that after you have become so accustomed to him, I might accidentally destroy your frail, weak body if I were to sleep with you. Perhaps you should start training." He laughed wickedly at his own joke. "Maybe then, one day you could handle me. But until that time, I'm afraid you would be safer with your weak human, boyfriend."

"THAT'S ENOUGH VEGETA!!!!!" she screamed in rage and indignance. Bulma ran out of the room, completely frustrated and embarrassed. Vegeta watched her go, grinning smugly. Suddenly he had a queer feeling in his gut. Must have been something he ate. Vegeta ignored it and went to bed.

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"I hate that man." Bulma muttered as she washed dishes that next morning. She had known last night that Vegeta was just teasing her, so she didn't want him to believe that she was really upset with him. This morning, she had made him a nice, big breakfast instead of the usual bowl of cereal and fruit or frozen waffles. But did he appreciate her hard work? No, of course not. He had seemed a bit startled when he entered the room, but he quickly regained his composure and eyed the meal critically. Not only did he not offer one word in thanks, or even a gracious smile; he had the audacity to complain. He muttered about how the eggs weren't spicy enough and how he needed more butter for his dry toast. She might have let all of this slide, but he only ate about half of her food, when Bulma knew he was easily capable of finishing twice as much. He said something about how he couldn't train well if he ate too much breakfast, and then left. He just _had_ to act so tough all the time. Would it be so horrible for his reputation if he just showed that anything she did mattered or affected him at all?

She sighed, grinning slightly as though she were a mother thinking fondly of her child. Bulma was almost positive that he showed he cared in his own strange, twisted ways. Now that she though about it without as much anger, Bulma realized how funny his sharp comments last night were. She giggled at the thought. A sense of humor? Vegeta? What a funny idea! Maybe Vegeta was one of the reasons she wasn't still crying and upset about her break up with Yamcha. Perhaps she was misconstruing his vague and seemingly commonplace actions, but maybe he was trying to cheer her up; or at least distract her from thoughts of Yamcha. Even if he had done it by accident, she felt a lot better just thinking of the slim chance that he might just appreciate her at all.

Even though she often felt a burning, intolerant rage toward Vegeta, Bulma often managed to tolerate him by convincing herself that this whole I-care-for-no-one-because-I-am-evil-and-all-powerful thing was just a façade. She liked the thought that perhaps he appreciated everything she did, although she was often quite sure that he didn't even acknowledge her existence. She saw how callously he acted around everyone, including her. It made her hope that one day, he'd show her some of the goodness she _knew_ he had to have somewhere inside of him. That thing inside him which had caused him to fight for good from now on, rather than against them. She knew it had to be there and she hoped that some day she could get him to show his true self. That was, of course, assuming that this smart-ass, callous jerk she knew so well _wasn't_ the true Vegeta. After all, Piccolo might be pretty scary, but he was basically good now. She could hope. It kept her from trying to kill him.

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"Silly, sentimental Earth woman!" Vegeta muttered sharply to himself as he trained that morning. "I can't stand her silly frivolity!" He scowled as he let loose a couple of good blasts. "What does she want with cooking me breakfast anyway?" he growled, "She _obviously_ expects something, but she can just forget that little idea of hers! She's not getting _anything_ from me." He narrowed his eyes coldly. He couldn't understand that woman at all. When Vegeta had first come to live and train here, he had immediately decided that he despised that loud temperamental woman. So he quickly got into the habit of purposefully insulting her and teasing her at every opportunity he got. He could tell that this made the woman extremely embarrassed and angry with him. But for some reason Vegeta could not begin to comprehend, or at least not so far as _he_ could see, she still seemed to at least tolerate or even enjoy his company.

The fact that she was a nearly impossible enigma to Vegeta only increased his impatience toward that woman. What did she _want_ from him anyway? He couldn't even count the number of times she'd given him that expectant look that meant she wanted him to give her that which was her due. There were a few obstacles that prevented her from getting this from Vegeta, though. First, he understood what the look meant basically, but not _exactly_ what she expected him to give her. Second, he didn't understand what she wanted to be repaid for. Third and most importantly, he was Vegeta, the Prince of all Saiyans, and he'd be damned if he was going to play gracious house guest to _her_, weak Earth woman that she was.

Damn her anyway. Why couldn't that woman just let him alone?

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Bulma had just finished with making Vegeta's customary sandwich and was putting it in its place on the top shelf of the refrigerator when she heard a loud explosion outside.

"Damn him," she muttered worriedly as she quickly made her way outside, "I can't leave that man alone for one minute!" she cocked her head in confusion at the sight that greeted her when she opened the door and looked outside.

She had expected to again see Vegeta crawling from the rubble of the ruined gravity room. Instead, she saw him standing in front of the untouched gravity room. He was glaring at a lump of blood and singed feathers that lay on the ground about seven feet from him. The thing, which Bulma could only assume _had_ been a bird at one time, was still smoking. Vegeta was holding an open hand up toward it, as though threatening it with another ki blast. Bulma relaxed her tense and worried posture and sighed, shaking her head impatiently and placing a hand on her him in irritation.

"Damn birds." Vegeta scowled, still watching the bird instead of Bulma. "Let's hear you squawk at me from the next dimension." He chuckled evilly.

"Vegeta," Bulma chided with the air of a mother who had given this lecture to her disobedient child one too many times, "How many times have I asked you not to kill the animals out here? I don't want to take care of that mess. Also, you scared me half to death! I thought the gravity room had blown up again."

"Woman?" Vegeta sneered at her, "Can't you hear the difference between a bird exploding and _that_ thing?" he jabbed his finger in the direction of the gravity room. "And there won't be a mess if _I_ take care of it." He picked the fowl up by it's leg and gave Bulma a wicked grin, "Hungry?" he held it up toward her in mock generosity.

"Ugh." Bulma covered her mouth as her face scrunched up in disgust, "No thanks."

"Hmph." Vegeta shrugged as he walked past her and into the house with the corpse still in hand. "Your loss."

"No, I don't _think_ so!" Bulma sprang into action, chasing after Vegeta as he took his catch to the kitchen. "I don't want that…that _thing_ in my house!" she ran into the kitchen and saw him adeptly plucking the last few feathers that hadn't been burnt off of the bird's body. "What exactly do _you_ think you're doing?" she asked irritably.

"Starting dinner." He offered after a long pause, during which he washed off and gutted the carcass in the sink.

"Since _when_ does the Prince of Saiyans eat road kill?" Bulma asked, her voice laden with sarcasm.

"It _isn't_ road kill woman!" Vegeta snapped as he put the carrion in a roasting pan and turned the oven on. He began tasting spices from the cupboard and sprinkling a few of them over his prize. "_I_ killed it, and it wasn't on the road!"

"That doesn't make it any less disgusting!" Bulma shot back at him. She threw her arms up in frustration as Vegeta finished adding spices to his creation and prepared to put it in the oven. "Do you even _know_ how to make that thing work?" she asked incredulously as he closed the oven door.

"Of course I do!" Vegeta scowled at her. She held back the smug grin that she could feel pulling up on the corners of her mouth. _That_ had gotten to his pride. He shook his head impatiently as he set the oven timer, "How inept do you think I _am_ woman!" he yelled at her, obviously disturbed. She savored the fact that she had the advantage for once. He was no better at hiding his anger than she was, and that was easily visible to both of them.

"Sure. If you say so." She smirked. "But I don't want the kitchen burning down!" Bulma laughed as she turned to leave.

"Ha, you laugh at _my_ cooking!" Vegeta roared with contemptuous laughter, "The only cooking that deserves to be laughed at around here is _yours_ woman! That is, _if_ the person who is forced to eat it lives long enough to tell about it!" He chuckled as she struggled for a come back, but eventually stormed out of the kitchen. Vegeta decided to go train some more while his dinner was cooking.

"I hate that man." Bulma grumbled as she flopped down in the chair in front of her desk and began going over some papers.

***End (of part 1, that is)***


	2. Default Chapter Title

Hello all you beautiful people out there! It's Teresa again. I'm sorry to any of you who are feeling upset and impatient for part 2, but I do what I can manage. Actually, you should all feel lucky that I'm an irresponsible student. Right now, I should be typing my chemistry term paper and doing my history homework and rereading the first six chapters of To Kill A Mockingbird (great book, if anyone cares to know) and doing a reading log on it. But this time, you people come first. That's right. So if I manage to screw up my grades because of this and blow my chances at valedictorian, just feel grateful! And thanks to all those people who reviewed part 1! Okay, so on to part 2.

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A Shelter From My Storm

Part 2

"That was really good Vegeta." Goku attested the next week following an afternoon sparring session that the two Saiyans had planned. "You've improved a lot since the last time we sparred. At this rate, you may just pass me up after a while."

"Just wait Kakarot," Vegeta smirked evilly, "I'll have you next time!"

"Maybe." Goku grinned encouragement, "You must be doing nothing but eat, sleep, and train." He commented

"What else is there to do?" Vegeta replied scornfully.

"I'll bet Bulma doesn't like that." Goku raised his eyebrows knowingly.

"What do you mean by that Kakarot?" Vegeta narrowed his eyes at Goku suspiciously.

"Nothing," Goku shrugged innocently. "It is just that I've known Bulma for a real long time. She doesn't like it when she gets ignored."

"What are you talking about?" Vegeta scowled, "I haven't been ignoring her! We had an argument just last week!" Goku began laughing but stopped uncomfortably when he realized Vegeta was serious.

"That's not what I mean Vegeta. She needs a friend. If she wanted someone to yell at, she could just call Yamcha." Goku advised.

"Hmph." Vegeta crossed his arms indignantly. "She has friends. What does she need with me anyway? I'd rather train. That woman drives me crazy with her foolishness."

"I'll bet she does." Goku smiled, "The thing is, she's so busy running Capsule Corporation now that she can't find a lot of time to get out of the house. That was okay before, because Yamcha always visited her. But now they aren't together. I bet she's lonely."

"What? Lonely?" Vegeta's scowl deepened. "If she is so lonely, why doesn't she go back to her weak, human boyfriend! This doesn't concern me! I am the Prince of all Saiyans! What do _I_ care if that silly Earth woman is having some damned, stupid emotional problem?!"

"Fine," Goku held up his hands defensively, "None of my business. You're the one who has to live with her."

"Hmph." Vegeta grunted before flying back to the Capsule Corp. to get some dinner before going to bed. Imagine, Kakarot having the audacity to suggest Vegeta, Prince of Saiyans, spend quality time with that weak human woman. Vegeta would do just as he pleased, whether that was training, or taking a break from it for _himself_. What did he care about her?

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Bulma was sitting in front of the television two days later, completely bored. She'd already made Vegeta his dinner and put it in the refrigerator. She had even thought about doing some extra work in her lab, but that prospect was even less enticing than sitting alone all day, so here she was. Bulma had thought to spend some time with Chichi, but she was busy today. Bulma was so bored that she was considering going to bed early when she heard someone enter the house and move around in the kitchen. That was something odd. Who would come in without knocking? She cautiously switched off the television and edged down the hall toward the kitchen.

"Who's there?" she called out, trying not to let fear seep through her voice.

"Who else woman?" she heard a familiar voice bark back.

"Vegeta?" she entered the kitchen and saw him snacking on an orange. "But…you…it's only 4:30." She was obviously very confused. "Are you feeling all right?" her brow furrowed in concern.

"Yes, of course I am, silly woman." Vegeta scowled at her, finishing off his piece of fruit.

"But…you never eat dinner until around seven or eight…usually later than that. You're too busy training." She voiced the cause of her concern, "Did you hurt yourself?"

"I'm not as careless as you think woman." Vegeta sneered contemptuously, "I have decided that I should take a break from training today. It will help me have a fresh mind when I go back to it tomorrow." He got up to throw away his orange peels and Bulma crossed to him. Her worried frown deepened.

"You're sick, aren't you?" she reached up to feel his forehead. At the contact, they both felt a tingling sensation which momentarily confused Vegeta to the point that he did not immediately pull away.

"What is wrong with you woman?" he spluttered once he regained his senses and stepped back quickly. Vegeta set his face back in its customary scowl as he stepped back. Bulma gave him a look of confused shock. She could have sworn that his expression had almost begun to soften a second ago. She shook her head softly, it must have been in her mind. For some inexplicable reason, she could feel her cheeks warming as a flush colored them.

"I was…just…" she struggled to speak with little success. Vegeta snorted impatiently and left to go the living room. He sat comfortably on the couch, switching on the television, though he was watching nothing in particular. Bulma immediately followed him to the living room without thinking about what she was doing. She paused when she saw Vegeta sit on the couch, but after a bit she sat on it as well. When she noticed how awkward the atmosphere had become, she began watching his face for expression as closely as she could without being obvious about it. Bulma couldn't help but wonder if she _hadn't_ been seeing things when she looked at his face in the kitchen, and she didn't want to miss it if it happened again.

"What do you want now, woman?" he scowled without turning to face her. Vegeta hoped she would just yell at him and go away. He didn't want to lose his composure in front of her, but he was feeling very flustered at the moment.

"Vegeta!" she frowned. Then she bit her lip and turned to look straight at him. She gave him a penetrating gaze as she continued in a soft, calm voice Vegeta could never remember her addressing him with. "Why don't you ever just call me Bulma?" she asked simply. His eyes went wide with surprise as he quickly sat up and gave her a look of puzzlement. He was quiet for a moment before answering.

"What kind of question is that?" he finally shot her a look that was not nearly as indignant as he had hoped for it to be.

Bulma fought back a triumphant grin. Now _here_ was something. He hadn't expected that at all. She had never seen him struggle so hard with his expression. Now if she could just probe this a bit…

"A good one." She replied calmly. "Well? What is the answer?" He looked lost for an answer for almost two full minutes. Then he set his jaw angrily.

"Woman!" he tried to sound impatient, but came out as almost pleading. "Why can't you just let me be!" Bulma decided to play into this, keeping her calm expression and voice; seeming to be unaware of the turmoil she was causing within Vegeta.

"Because," she replied, "you confuse me. I want to understand why you are the way you are." She smiled pleasantly as she tried to hold back the laughter which his befuddled reaction tempted. He was quite adorable when he was confused. Now that she thought about it, he was an enigmatically attractive man in her eyes whether he was confused or not. Funny how she didn't realize it until, for the first time, she found herself winning one of their frequent verbal battles. Perhaps it was because she wasn't being completely blinded by rage at his presence. That must be why he drove her so crazy. She was attracted to the very things about him which most infuriated her.

"I confuse _you_!?" Vegeta's eyes were huge and baffled, "_I_ confuse _YOU_!? How can _you_ be confused by _me_? YOU are the confusing one Bulma!" She could hide her mirth no longer. Bulma burst into a loud bout of laughter, rocking back and forth in her glee. Vegeta just sat and watched her in shocked, indignant silence. She turned to him, wiping her eyes, to explain her outburst.

"Y-you-you c-ca-called, y-you, you," she fought desperately to speak through her laughter. Once she was reasonably composed, Bulma started over. "Vegeta, you got so confused that you slipped. And you called me Bulma!" she laughed again. "If only I had a camera. The look on your face! It was priceless!" she laughed momentarily before calming down again. Vegeta sat in stunned silence, until his pride got the better of him. He scowled at her the best he could.

"Agh!" he fumed, "Woman! Why do you have to be so-mmph!" he was cut off as Bulma quickly put her mouth on his. Vegeta's eyes went wide for a moment before he began to give in. She broke it just as he was overcoming his surprise and his instincts were kicking in.

"Oh Kame." Bulma muttered as she pulled back, blushing furiously in embarrassment. "Um, I'm sorry Vegeta," she apologized, looking away in extreme discomfort, "I didn't mean to…just…"

"Bulma." He grabbed her chin, turning it toward him and pulling her forward. Vegeta tilted her head up as she gasped in shock. Then he was kissing her on the mouth hungrily as he wrapped an arm around her waist possessively, the other one holding her head. He stood up then, lifting her easily with one arm while the other held her to him. He carried her upstairs, heading toward her bedroom as his animal instincts demanded he do more than kiss her. She had fleeting thoughts as he opened her door and carried her to the bed. What was she doing? Why was she with Vegeta? Was she insane? She had thought he had no feelings. Was she being proven wrong? Would this work out? Would things be different from now on? Then he joined her on the bed and soon after that, it became too difficult to think and question what was happening.

***The End (Of Part 2, that is)***


	3. Default Chapter Title

Teresa here again, hoping you are all enjoying reading my story as much as I enjoyed writing it. You see, I have already written this entire story, though I may someday do a sequel if demand is great enough. I have a specific way that I write. I refuse to give a story a title unless it is finished. And I refuse to post a story if it is without a title, cause that kind of thing is important to me. So here I sit with a well-worn notebook in my lap, most of its pages filled with writing which you will all eventually be able to read as long as I am still able to type it out for you. (Sorry if all of that was boring, just thought you guys might care; if not, that's okay too.) Anyway, I hope that the changes in Vegeta's character are not too fast for you guys, now or in the future. I'm trying to be believable here. And keep in mind that no matter how Vegeta acts around Bulma in private, he's still acting basically the same around everyone else (this is pretty much a warning for later in the story, but might as well tell you now.) Okay, on with the story!

*** 

A Shelter From My Storm

Part 3

The next day, Bulma yawned and stretched slightly as she began to awaken slowly. She felt so deliciously tired and warm. Grinning, she sighed in contentment. Suddenly, her outstretched hand touched something warm. She gasped in shock and tried to sit up, but something was holding her down. At that moment, Bulma realized that she was completely naked. Where was her nightgown? She started struggling in confused panic until she had wriggled her body over on its other side. Vegeta?! What was _he_ doing in her bed? She almost screamed in panic when it finally came to her. Bulma began to relax when she recalled what they had done last night. She calmed down when she realized that she couldn't get up easily because his arm was draped over her body.

Snuggling herself closer to his warm body, she gazed up at his sleeping face. Bulma reached up with her hand and softly touched his face, an adoring smile forming on her lips. She lifted her head to see over his body so that she could check the time on her digital clock. 4:00 in the afternoon?! But?…She giggled quietly. They must have really worn each other out! Bulma sighed happily, kissing his cheek lightly as she lowered her head again. Then she snuggled her head against his muscular chest and quickly fell asleep once again.

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Later Vegeta woke up, disturbed by the nearby presence of a familiar ki. Before he even opened his eyes, Vegeta realized that Bulma was laying next to him and he immediately recalled what they had done as a smug grin spread over his face. He looked down at the weak Earth woman who was snuggled into his arms. Her soft blue green hair gleamed over the pale skin of her back. His hand stroked her delicate head softly. She inspired inexplicable emotions in him. He had been with women before, but this one was…different somehow. With every other woman, he had not worried one bit about their well-being. He had simply done as he wished with them, not thinking about them for one second.

But he had been completely different with Bulma. He had been all gentle consideration, (at least compared to how he usually was) making sure he did not cause her any pain or discomfort. And here he was, lying in her bed and hoping he hadn't exhausted her too much. 

What was wrong with him? What was happening? Since when did the feelings of this human matter to him, Vegeta, the mighty Prince of the Saiyans? Ah well. He needed some more sleep. He gave her a surprisingly careful hug and a gentle kiss on the top of her head, savoring the clean, fresh scent of her hair. They could only hope this peaceful bond lasted once they were both awake.

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A couple of hours later, Vegeta climbed out of bed and pulled his clothes back on after a quick shower. He saw Bulma stirring in her bed as though she would soon awaken, so he sat down next to her small body. He twisted a stray lock of hair away from her forehead gently. She opened her eyes slowly, stretching out her arms slowly as she smiled up at his temporarily softened face. He leaned over and kissed her lips with a passion that she eagerly returned. Vegeta wrapped his arms around her bare waist possessively as she climbed into his lap, draping her arms over his shoulders and around his neck. He was beginning to kiss her jaw line and throat when she pushed him away firmly. She giggled slightly as he looked at her in confusion at the rejection.

"I'm sorry Vegeta." She told him laughingly, "I can't. I have to so some work. Besides, I'm all worn out." She kissed his mouth before climbing out of his lap to go take a shower. Vegeta's slightly soft features rearranged themselves into his familiar wicked grin.

"I thought I warned you, woman." He smirked, "After that weak Earth man, you would have to train so that you could handle me. Speaking of that fool, does this mean you are going to go sleep with him now that you actually have slept with me?" she threw her wadded up shirt at him in mock anger, trying not to smile but failing miserably.

"Very funny." Bulma continued to attempt to look serious.

"But woman, you said you'd sleep with me before you even thought-" he began, but she cut him off with a long kiss. She broke it after a while and looked up at him playfully.

"I remember what I said." She assured him calmly, "Would you like to fly me over there right now?"

"I thought you had to work." Vegeta wrapped his arms around her again.

"Yamcha, I can fit into my schedule." She told him, "He doesn't take that long. Now _you_, I'd have to take the day off for." Vegeta grinned smugly at this comment. He leaned forward to kiss Bulma, but she slipped away from him, smiling playfully as she slid into her bathrobe.

"No." she quickly tied the sash and wagged a finger at him, "I told you, I have to work and I need to get cleaned up first."

"I'll join you then." Vegeta's wicked grin returned as he stalked toward her.

"But Vegeta, you've already had a shower." She pointed at his wet hair, backing up and tried not to laugh, "and I don't have time to play around with you, I _said_ I needed to get clean."

"I feel like another shower," he flashed her a predatory smile as he continued toward her, "and I only want to help you get clean." Bulma laughed as she ran to escape his advances. Vegeta chuckled evilly as he chased her into the bathroom.

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"Hello Bulma honey!" Dr. Briefs walked into the house next to Capsule Corp. with his wire. They were carrying several suitcases since they had just returned from a month-long vacation.

"We're home!" Mrs. Briefs squealed a greeting. They took their belongings to their room and began to unpack. "I'll be right back dear." Mrs. Briefs told her husband, "I need to use the bathroom."

Meanwhile, in the bathroom…

"Damn, woman!" Vegeta panicked, quickly turning off the shower. "Your parents are home!"

"Uh-oh!" Bulma hurriedly toweled herself off and swung on her bathrobe. "I'll go out and see if the coast is clear. You get dressed." She left him. "Oh, hi mom!" Bulma greeted her mother loudly so that she was sure Vegeta could hear her. "You need to go to the bathroom? Well I just finished so go ahead." Bulma crossed her fingers, hoping Vegeta could escape or hide in time.

Vegeta looked around desperately. The window was too small, so he quickly shut himself in the cramped linen closet and hoped that Mrs. Briefs wouldn't need any sheets or anything like that.

Mr. Briefs washed her hands and looked around for a towel. Two still damp towels lay on the floor. That was odd. Why did Bulma need so many towels for one shower? She dismissed the thought as she opened the closet to find a dry towel…And found herself face to face with a very mortified Vegeta.

"Oh. Hello Vegeta." Mrs. Briefs smiled at him affably.

"Uh, hello!" Vegeta answered as he tried to think up a quick explanation for why he was in the linen closet. "I was just, um, looking for my, uh, gloves." He explained quickly.

"But they aren't in here silly. They're in the living room. I saw them." Mrs. Briefs teased flirtatiously.

"Oh. Well, so they are." Vegeta replied nervously, "I'll just go get them now so I can train." He ran out of the room and flew down the stairs.

"So _that's_ what they were doing while we were gone." Mrs. Briefs sighed happily as she dried her hands and went back to unpacking. "Honey," she addressed her husband, "Looks like Bulma and Vegeta finally got together." She informed him. He grunted, barely looking up from what he was doing.

"It's about time." He finally muttered.

***The End (Of Part 3, That Is)***


	4. Default Chapter Title

Hello everyone! Teresa here again. Now, I'm going to get into the story in a second here, but first I would just like to clarify for those of you who thought otherwise, part 3 was not the end, and neither is this part. This story is going to have at least…about…I'm not quite sure, but there is going to be a lot of parts. It doesn't end until a tad bit after Trunks is born. Sorry that I confused people with all that talking about a sequel. Got a little bit ahead of myself. I can really ramble, as evidenced by this intro. Okay, so (place standard disclaimer here) and now we're on with the story…

***

A Shelter From My Storm 

Part 4

Two weeks later, Bulma sat in her lab. She sighed sadly as she tried in vain to concentrate on the job at hand. All she could think of was Vegeta. He hadn't said more than two words to her ever since they…well, she knew what they did. True, she _had_ spent most of her time in the lab during the past couple of weeks, but that didn't mean he'd had no opportunities to talk to her about what had happened between them. Maybe he didn't know what to say, Bulma realized. She would just have to give him a little push.

With that, Bulma set down her papers and left her lab, striding purposefully toward the gravity room. Once she got there, she walked into the control room. She attempted to watch him train, but she could not follow the extremely fast movements and the strain of trying was hurting her eyes. Finally, she shook her head impatiently and pushed the intercom button, leaning down toward the microphone.

"Vegeta?" she asked in the sweetest voice she could manage. Bulma waited, but there was no response. "Vegeta? This is Bulma. I need to talk to you." She told him, her voice become strained as her impatience built.

Vegeta heard the woman trying to get his attention and decided to see how fast she would become angry if he continued to ignore her. He loved it when she was angry. Vegeta wasn't exactly sure why this pleased him so much, but it did.

"Vegeta?" Bulma was definitely sounding impatient now. "DAMMIT VEGETA!!!" she screeched. Vegeta fired a final blast and then stopped. He turned off the gravity machine with the interior controls and stormed into the control room. He grabbed a nearby towel and slung it across his sweat-dampened shoulders as he scowled at Bulma.

"What do you want, woman?" Vegeta growled. Bulma almost snapped at him, but stopped herself and took a deep breath to calm down. She reminded herself to try and be patient with Vegeta. He was probably not used to these types of things, and she needed to remember that.

"Vegeta, we need to talk." She smiled encouragement and stepped closer to him. Bulma placed her small hand gently on one of his crossed arms. Vegeta sneered and stepped back without even thinking about it.

"What do you mean, 'talk'?" his scowl deepened. "You mean to tell me that you interrupted my training to 'talk'?" Bulma bit her lip so that she would not yell at him, but she could not hide the injured look in her eyes.

"I _mean_ we need to talk about what happened between us." Bulma told him as softly and slowly as her rising temper would allow. "You know…right before my parents got back. When we-"

"I _know_ what we did, woman!" Vegeta glared viciously at her so that his flushed face might be mistaken for anger.

"Right. Well, we need to talk about it." She smiled gently and moved a bit closer to him. Vegeta was losing his composure again. She was so close to him and she smelled…so…but he couldn't reveal his emotions to this woman again. It was bad enough that he had given in once before.

"What do you mean?" he managed to sound scornful, "There's not anything to talk about. It is done. Now stop bothering me, woman!" he turned quickly and escaped to the sanctuary of the gravity room. Bulma stood in shock before her pride could take it no longer.

"Damn, selfish, stupid BASTARD!!" she screamed in a fit of rage as she stomped out of the control room and back to the house.

------------------------------

"Good morning dear!" Mrs. Briefs greeted her daughter as Bulma made her way wearily into the kitchen a few days later. Mrs. Briefs paused in her enthusiasm to watch her disheveled daughter shuffle over to the cupboard for some oatmeal. "Bulma honey, do you feel all right?" she asked in concern. Bulma moaned in reply.

"I think I have the flu or something. I've been puking all morning." Bulma sighed in exhaustion.

"Oh, honey," Mrs. Briefs ushered Bulma into the living room and had her lay down on one of the couches. "Lay here and I'll go fix you some soup, okay?"

"Thanks mom." Bulma replied as her mother covered her with a blanket before bustling back into the kitchen. Bulma closed her eyes wearily as the twisting pain in her stomach faded. She opened one eye slowly and cautiously when she felt a shadow of someone standing over her. Bulma clenched her teeth angrily to see Vegeta standing there, looking down on her.

"What's wrong with _you_, woman?" he scowled at her critically.

"As if you'd care." She glared at him. Bulma sighed in relief as he walked into the kitchen. She closed her eyes again in fatigue as she heard her mother and Vegeta talking. After a few minutes, the conversation was ended and Bulma could hear Vegeta leave to train while Mrs. Briefs returned to the living room with Bulma's soup.

"Here you are, dear." Her mother helped Bulma sit up to eat the hot soup. While her daughter ate, Mrs. Briefs sat in a nearby chair. "Are you and Vegeta having a fight of some sort?" she asked bluntly after some time.

"Um, what do you mean by that mom?" Bulma nearly choked on her soup before deciding to attempt to feign ignorance.

"Oh, don't worry honey. Your father and I already know what happened while we were gone." Mrs. Briefs waved a hand nonchalantly through the air as Bulma's eyes widened in terror, "And I just wanted to know if the two of you were having some problems."

"H-how did you…" Bulma managed.

"Really dear, what do you take me for?" Mrs. Briefs giggled at her daughter's puzzled reaction. "Anyway, Vegeta just came into the kitchen wanting to know what was wrong with you. He said 'Damn stubborn woman won't tell me what her problem is' or something like that. So I said that you had caught some type of flu. And he said 'Silly weak women catch all kinds of damned dirty Earth diseases' I think. And then he left to train. I think he's worried about you sweetie." Mrs. Briefs concluded. Bulma scoffed at this assumption.

"I'd just bet. That would be the day." She shook her head ruefully, "The Mighty Prince of the Saiyans would never admit that he _worried_ about anyone. It is below him to care for anyone, especially 'weak, silly, Earth women.' Forget it mom." Bulma told her. Mrs. Briefs shrugged and left the room. Bulma was just beginning to relax when an annoyingly familiar voice caused her to tense up in irritation.

"Bulma!" it greeted.

"Hello Oolong." She sighed in defeat. She'd never get any peace.

"I heard you had stomach problems." The short pig walked up to her.

"Would you just leave me _alone_?" Bulma snapped.

"And an attitude to!" he held up his hands defensively, sucking in a breath with fear, "Sheesh Bulma, I was just--Hey, what's that?" he sniffed the air in curiosity.

"What?" Bulma asked impatiently. Oolong began to sniff her stomach and she batted at his head with both of her arm, "What are you doing you pervert?! Go away!" she commanded. Oolong eyed Bulma in curious surprise.

"I thought Yamcha and you broke up last month." Oolong stated in shock as he stared at her in disbelief, "But this is fresher than that. Probably only two or so weeks ago."

"What are you talking about?" Bulma demanded, "So what if we broke up a month ago?" Oolong looked at her seriously, struggling for words before finally, he blurted it out.

"Bulma, someone knocked you up!" he exclaimed.

"What!? What do you mean? How can you tell?" Bulma's eyes widened in shock.

"I could always tell if a woman was pregnant, and how long." Oolong defended himself, "Go check!"

"I will!" Bulma ran to her lab and gave herself a special pregnancy test that she had invented after she lost her virginity to Yamcha. Apparently, Oolong was correct. She had been pregnant with a boy for just over two weeks.

"What'd I tell you?" Oolong gave her a smug grin, "So, who's the father? Did Yamcha and you get back together after all?" Bulma angrily lifted the pig by his collar and threw him against the wall.

"Leave me alone." She glared at him as she stalked out of the house.

"Looks like the mood swings are already kicking in." Oolong muttered as he watched her walk into the building that contained the gravity room. She wasted no time with sweetness this time. Bulma punched the intercom button.

"Vegeta! We need to talk! NOW!!" she yelled. Vegeta turned off the gravity machine and entered the control room.

"I thought you were sick, woman." Vegeta tried to keep all traces of concern out of his voice.

"No, it's a lot worse than that. And that is what we need to talk about." Bulma told him in a solemn voice, trying not to panic as she wrung her hands nervously.

"Well, what is the matter with you then?" Vegeta demanded impatiently.

"It's just…I wanted…he said…" Bulma mumbled several incoherent fragments before Vegeta became sick of waiting.

"Out with it woman!" he fumed at the nervous Bulma. She looked around helplessly as she whimpered, unsure of what she should say, how to tell him. Finally, Vegeta grabbed her shoulders and gave her a slight shake. "Tell me!" he prompted. Bulma stared at him with sudden determination in her eyes as she took a deep breath.

"It has to do with when we slept together." She began.

"What about it?" Vegeta crossed his arms, scowling once again. "I thought I told you there is nothing to talk about."

"Maybe you thought that a few days ago, but the situation has…changed." Bulma remained planted in her position stubbornly.

"There is _no_ situation!" Vegeta countered, "What are you talking about, woman? I thought this was about how you were sick. Get to the point!" he ordered, "I am Vegeta, the Prince of all Saiyans, and I have not time to waste on the whimpering of common, weak, Earth women!" At this, Bulma's face became red in anger.

"I'm PREGNANT Vegeta! You got that?! PREGNANT!! With YOUR baby!!" she yelled at him in her unleashed fury. "That's right! Looks like the situation HAS changed, hasn't it?!" Vegeta's mouth fell open in shock. He stood gaping at her, momentarily speechless as Bulma placed one hand on her hip, completely smug at his sudden change in expression. The tables had turned in her favor once again.

Vegeta was completely taken aback. How had this happened? Why had he not sensed it? What was going on? And why was she giving him that expectant look again? He struggled to maintain what little composure he had left.

"So?" he managed to splutter out, "What do I care?"

"Vegeta." Bulma glowered at him, "This _may_ be my child, but it is _yours_, too! So it affects both of us."

"Hmph." He grunted defiantly, "What do you want from _me_ woman?"

"Well, you _are_ the father." Bulma began slowly, "So maybe you could help me take care of it." She looked up at him hopefully.

"Me? Take care of that…that THING inside of you?" Vegeta sneered at Bulma, "I am Prince of Saiyans, not some babysitter!"

"Fine!" Bulma yelled as she turned her back to him and crossed her arms, "It isn't like you'd make much of a father anyway!"

"Hmph." Was the only reply she heard from the temperamental Saiyan behind her.

"Doesn't matter to me anyway." She stated casually, as if she were speaking to no one in particular, "I think the baby and I would be better off with Yamcha anyway." She tried her best to repress a triumphant smile as she heard Vegeta step toward her as she remained with her back to him. He was right behind her now, and she could feel his hot, angry breathing against the back of her neck.

"What?!" Vegeta fumed indignantly, "That weak earthling? Raising _my_ child? I think _not_! The boy must not grow up to be like that weak, simpering fool! He has a proud Saiyan heritage which he must be trained to make the most of!"

"How do you know it is a boy?" Bulma hadn't told him that yet.

"I know woman, I can sense it." Vegeta spun her around softly to face him. "You mustn't let that idiot raise my son!" he commanded her.

"Then who would you suggest?" the corner of Bulma's mouth went up in a sly grin, "Goku's a Saiyan, perhaps he can train-"

"Kakarot?!" Vegeta cut her off in horror, "You will not allow that lowly third class warrior to ruin my son!"

"Well, who else is there?" Bulma gave him a look of mock innocence. Vegeta growled and gritted his teeth before finally sighing in defeat. There was no other way. She had him.

"I…I will stay here." Vegeta muttered grudgingly, "But only to train the boy!" he clarified sharply.

"Sure Vegeta, why else would you stay here?" Bulma mumbled quietly as she exited the control room while Vegeta went back to his training. "You're the Prince of all Saiyans, you care for no one." She laughed lightly at this as she went back into the house.

***The End (Of Part 4, that is)***


	5. Default Chapter Title

Aaand, I'm back! Yes, that's right, Teresa here. I'm having a good day since I just went to a Korn concert on Tuesday, and on Thursday I was inducted into the Honor Society. Sigh. But, enough about me; on to the story. I am letting it slide this one time because I never said anything about how important comments are to me, but from now on, there is a new rule. I will not post the next part of the story until I have at LEAST 5 comments on the most recent part. That's right. And you guys were all doing a good job of commenting on each part, except for part 4. You guys were slacking in the comment department on that one. As I type this, I only have 2 comments. Two. Somehow, I doubt that only two people are reading my work. So now, I am making this rule. Please don't think that I'm mean. If I was really mean, I could have just waited for you guys to meet the comment quota before putting out this part without ever telling you why I was waiting. Okay so, blah blah legal stuff blah blah blah….And back to the story.

A Shelter From My Storm

Part 5

Vegeta walked into the kitchen that evening after he had been training all day. He quickly grabbed his sandwich, a glass of milk, and some cake that Bulma's mother had made. He looked at the table, but observed with disgust that it had not been wiped off since the last meal. Vegeta didn't even consider the possibility of wiping off the table himself, as that was "below him." Instead, he carried his dinner up to his room. This was not highly unusual; he often ate in his own room for any number of reasons. He had just finished eating his meal when there was a knocking at his door. Vegeta started at the noise, a small grunt of confusion escaping his lips. Who would be knocking on _his_ door? What could they want?

"Who is it?" Vegeta snarled.

"Uh, Bulma." Came the frightened reply in a small voice.

"Oh." He was shocked at this turn of events. Usually, if the woman wanted to tell him something, she simply threw his door open and began yelling at him. He shrugged off his growing curiosity. "What do you want?" he demanded.

"I…Nothing." She sighed wistfully from the other side of his door.

"What _is_ it woman?!" Vegeta asked impatiently. "Just tell me now so I don't have to put up with your pitiful moping for weeks."

"I…I just wanted…Can I come in?" Bulma asked. Vegeta let loose an exasperated sigh.

"Very well, but only for a little while." He answered from where he sat on his bed watching television.

"Thanks." She came in and stood beside his bed awkwardly. Bulma stared at Vegeta, who continued watching television, for quite some time.

"Are you planning on standing there all night, or were you going to say something?" Vegeta smirked at her obvious discomfort.

"Vegeta," she sat down on the edge of his bed, her eyes dropping as she seemed to focus intently on picking a few pieces of lint off of his blanket, "I just wanted you to know how much it means to me that you have decided to-"

"I hope you realize that the only reasons I am staying here are the gravity room and the training of my son." Vegeta suddenly snapped, cutting her off. "And those are the ONLY reasons." He glared at her suspiciously. Bulma immediately jumped up from where she sat and looked around self-consciously. Finally, her eyes met Vegeta's, but they weren't gentle, as they had been before; they were dark and hard with anger.

"Fine. Don't say 'you're welcome' or anything! Don't even bother to LOOK at me!" tears of frustrated rage fell down Bulma red cheeks as she stormed out and left the house in a capsule car. Vegeta raised an eyebrow in curiosity when he heard her drive away, but he quickly decided that if she wanted to be difficult, he wasn't going to stop her if she wanted to go somewhere else to bother people.

------------------------------

Bulma wearily sat down on the barstool. She ordered a beer and was about to drink it as quickly as she could manage when she remembered that she was pregnant now. Sighing heavily, she pushed the glass away and gave the confused bartender an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry, I just realized that I can't drink this. I'm pregnant." She explained sheepishly, "Could I please have a glass of water instead?" the sympathetic man quickly obliged, switching her glass with one filled with water. Bulma looked down at the clear liquid. Just great. Now she wasn't even allowed to get so drunk that she could black out and forget about what a cold, callous, asshole Vegeta was, even now. A tear rolled down Bulma's cheek and she angrily brushed it away. Damn that man. He was most definitely _not_ allowed to make her cry. Suddenly, someone sat down next to her at the bar.

"Bulma?" she stiffened at the familiar sounding voice.

"Yamcha, could you please just leave me alone?" she sighed miserably. She was not in the mood for this.

"Sorry, I just saw you and thought you looked upset." Yamcha apologized, shrugging. "Like maybe you needed to talk to someone." He got up and turned to leave, but she reached out and caught his arm, holding him back. She smiled apologetically at her old boyfriend.

"Yamcha, I didn't' mean to snap at you like that. I'm sorry." She offered. "You're right. I am upset."

"Why? What happened?" Yamcha asked in concern, sitting down in his stool immediately. She giggled lightly at his behavior.

"Sometimes I forget how much nicer you are than Vegeta." She sighed wistfully, leaning against his strong shoulder out of old habit.

"Vegeta's been giving you problems?" Yamcha frowned. "Just ignore him. He's a bad man without a heart. He isn't normal like the rest of us." He patted her shoulder consolingly as she sat back up.

"I know." Bulma began to cry again, "I know." Yamcha was a little bit confused by this behavior, but he continued to comfort Bulma anyway.

"It's okay." He patted her back gently.

"Why did I leave you, Yamcha?" Bulma shook her head and sipped her drink. "My life was normal with you."

"Normal?" he laughed at this comment, "You must have had a pretty tough month to say that!" he cocked an eyebrow at her, suddenly suspicious. "How much have you had to drink anyway, Bulma?" she laughed and had him sip her water.

"Only this one, and last time I checked, this stuff was absolutely ineffective at getting someone drunk." She assured him.

"Just checking." Yamcha replied, "But why did you come to a bar just to drink water?"

"I wanted some beer, but I couldn't." she admitted.

"Forget your I.D.?" Yamcha asked.

"No." Bulma mumbled, drinking water nervously.

"Then why?" Yamcha asked, perplexed, "Some new diet or something?"

"Something like that." She muttered uncomfortably.

"Oh." He nodded acceptance at this reply. "So do you wanna talk about your problems?" she turned to face him and smiled at his open, honest face. Vegeta and Yamcha were like night and day. Maybe that was why she had turned to Vegeta. Bulma gave Yamcha a quick peck on the cheek.

"Thanks a lot Yamcha." She said. "You can be so sweet sometimes. That's one of the things I really like about you. But I don't think you really want to hear what I've been going through."

"Ah, Bulma." Yamcha blushed slightly, "Don't worry about it. It can't be all _that_ bad."

"You think so?" Bulma challenged him.

"Sure. I don't mind you telling me whatever it is that has been bothering you." He gave her an endearing, lopsided grin. "I mean, how bad could it really be?"

"I'm pregnant." Bulma blurted it out, immediately wishing that she had remained silent. Yamcha's jaw dropped in shock.

"But…How…I…We…You…Thought I…Careful…Not…How…Pregnant…" he spluttered incoherently.

"It isn't-" Bulma began before Yamcha shocked her into silence by kissing her right on the mouth.

"This is great!" he said when he quickly released her. "I knew there would be something to bring us back together! And now this! I admit, this was completely unexpected, but I'm happy anyway! We'll be parents, Bulma! I always wanted to be a dad." He sighed happily.

"But it's not-" she tried again, but he cut her off in his excitement.

"I know I've made a lot of mistakes before, but I really am sorry. I won't do it again. I love you, Bulma." He hugged her happily. She winced at his last words and pushed him away.

"I knew I shouldn't have told you. I knew you wouldn't be able to handle it." She shook her head slowly in regret.

"What do you mean?" Yamcha cocked his head at her quizzically.

"I _mean_ that even though I _am_ pregnant, it isn't…it's not yours Yamcha." She finished quickly, "I'm sorry." She added, biting her lip nervously.

"But…but who? When?" he demanded softly as he looked at his feet in dejection.

"I don't want to tell you, but I guess I owe it to you to let you know." Bulma began resignedly. "About one week after we broke up, I…I slept with Vegeta." She informed him. He looked completely crushed.

"Vegeta?" he asked in an injured voice, "How could you? Why would you _want_ to?" Yamcha asked in disgust.

"That's something that even _I_ don't know for sure." Bulma admitted. "I think you're right about him, but sometimes…I don't know." Yamcha nodded slowly, a numb look on his face as he rose to leave.

"I guess I had better leave now Bulma. I have some things I need to think about." He told her in a very calm monotone before he left.

"I know the feeling." She muttered to herself. After finishing her glass of water, Bulma saw as well as felt how late it was and went home to go to bed and get herself some rest.

------------------------------

The next morning when Bulma went to the kitchen for some breakfast, she saw but pointedly ignored Vegeta. He stood leaning against the refrigerator with his arms crossed and his face set in an angry scowl as usual. Bulma could feel his eyes following her and she tried her best not to let his scrutiny anger her or cause her to show discomfort. She didn't want to give him the satisfaction of knowing that he was getting to her. Slowly, and with supreme patience, something she usually never made use of, Bulma poured her cereal and got a spoon. Almost she considered eating it without any milk so as to avoid Vegeta. After all, Vegeta was obviously after something, she could see that plainly. Probably a fight, and that would just prove fruitless and tiresome like always. But then Bulma's strong defiance kicked in, and without another moment's pause for contemplation, she walked right up to the refrigerator and glared up at Vegeta, arms akimbo, lips pursed angrily. His scowl deepened as she stood before him defiantly.

"What do you want woman?" he asked scornfully.

"Funny, I was going to ask you the same thing. What are you doing in here anyway? Don't you have to train or something?" she continued glaring at him, refusing to stand down.

"I was taking a break." He sneered at her slightly.

"Well, can you take it somewhere else? You're in my way." Bulma told him.

"Where were you last night?" Vegeta asked sharply as he stepped deftly to one side.

"What do you care?" she grabbed the milk out of the refrigerator and took it to the counter, all the while concentrating stubbornly on maintaining her poise.

"I don't." Vegeta countered quickly, "I just wondered where you were until 2:30 in the morning." Bulma, realizing that she had a slight advantage, slowly poured her milk and closed the carton delicately as though she hadn't even heard Vegeta or acknowledged his presence at all. This quickly angered the impatient Saiyan and he growled almost inaudibly at her behavior. "Well?" he asked, his voice dangerously quiet. Bulma decided it might be safer for her if she were to stop antagonizing Vegeta at that moment.

"I was at a bar." She informed him matter-of-factly.

"Are you crazy, woman!?" Vegeta roared, "You can't be drinking in your condition!"

"I didn't drink, I talked with Yamcha!" Bulma countered as she stormed back to the refrigerator, milk carton in hand. 

"That weak Earthling! What do you want with _him_, woman!?" he asked, absolutely outraged. She snapped her head up, letting her defiant gaze meet his enraged eyes as she put the milk away and stepped up to him.

"No more than you claim to want with me." She told Vegeta, her voice icy and quiet. "Nothing." She shot him a look that sent chills up the Prince's spine before turning to leave the room. As he listened speechlessly, he heard Bulma running up the stairs sobbing, then going to her room and slamming the door shut behind her.

"Damn woman." Vegeta hands dropped to his sides. "What is it that she wants from me?"

"Oh Vegeta, come on. I thought you were smarter than that." Vegeta whirled at the voice and saw Mrs. Briefs entering the kitchen. "But I guess this isn't exactly your strong suit, now is it?" she giggled lightly. "You see, this is the part where you go apologize and ask for her forgiveness."

"Apologize?" Vegeta scoffed indignantly, "The Prince of Saiyans does not do such things. It is below me. Besides that, I did nothing wrong! She was the one running about with that weakling!"

"If that's the way you feel, I don't know if I can help you." Mrs. Briefs shrugged, sighing breezily. "You need to think. There must be _some_ reason she's mad. What's the last thing she said before she left the room?"

"That I wanted nothing with her." Vegeta replied, scowling. Bulma's mother nodded slowly.

"Yes, Vegeta. If she thinks that you hater her when she so obviously cares for you, that would probably upset her. You'll have to do something to show that you care." She advised sagely.

"But…Who said I care for that silly woman!" Vegeta protested.

"Please Vegeta, it is painfully obvious." Mrs. Briefs giggled at his reaction. "Well, good luck. I really must get going." And with that, Mrs. Briefs left the room.

"Damn Earth woman." Vegeta mumbled. His sharp ears could still hear the sounds of Bulma sobbing, "All she does is make life more difficult." He grumbled under his breath. "I wanted to take a nap, but that won't happen in this noise. I suppose I will have to shut her up somehow." Vegeta mumbled to himself grudgingly. He took a deep breath and walked upstairs to her room, which was right across from his. The door was closed, but the woman's loud sobs were still plainly audible. He gritted his teeth and opened the door, quietly sliding into her room. Vegeta stood for a few moments in front of the door, hesitating. Finally he stepped up to her bed, where she lay crying piteously, her back toward him. "Woman!" he shouted to be heard above her wailing.

"Huh?" Bulma's crying suddenly reduced in volume to shuddering gasps and whimpers as she turned her head to face his cold features.

"Why must you make this racket!" he scowled, arms crossed. "What advantages can this incessant noise possibly grant you? All it does is cause annoyance!" he scolded her.

"It is called 'crying' Vegeta! I'm sure you aren't familiar with it, seeing as you're completely HEARTLESS!!" she stopped her whimpers to yell at him. "It happens when someone is very badly hurt." She explained softly.

"What do you mean? Are you injured?" Vegeta scanned her body quickly. There was the faintest hint of concern in his contemptuous voice.

"Yes, but not the way _you_ think." Bulma sighed sadly.

"What are you talking about woman?" Vegeta gave her a puzzled look. "Where have you been harmed?"

"Never mind Vegeta." Bulma told him, waving a hand in dismissal.

"Tell me who attacked you, I will destroy them!" he proclaimed, holding a fist up threateningly.

"Don't worry about it." Bulma stood up and gently pushed him back, her hands on his chest. She paused, cocking her head to the side as a faint grin grace her red, tear streaked face. "You know Vegeta, sometimes I forget about you; how you're a Saiyan warrior, not used to the common things that we humans have grown up with. I guess I should have realized that before getting myself into this position. I'm sorry for assuming that you would understand." She reached up and softly ran her hand down his face, a gentle look of endearment in he eyes. Vegeta just stood there, too confused by these sudden mood shifts to resist the sudden contact.

"Bulma?" his brow furrowed in confusion. She shook her head before lightly pushing him out of her room. She was about to turn away, but on a whim, she stopped herself, leaning upward to kiss Vegeta lightly on the lips.

"I'll talk to you about this some day, but not right now. I need a nap." She went back into her room, leaving a thoroughly disconcerted Vegeta standing in the hall, staring at her door, the taste of Bulma's lips still on his. Slowly, his fingers came up to touch his lips lightly as if to make sure they were really his. After a long moment of wondering whether or not Bulma might come out of her room and give him more than that infuriatingly soft kiss, he turned and went to take a cold shower, grumbling irritably about odd methods of torture and evil human women.

***The End (of Part 5, that is)***


	6. Default Chapter Title

Just so everyone out there knows, I really really wanted to be a character in that ultimate fanfic that piccolo is writing, but I don't meet the requirements cause so far I only have one series on this site, not three. pout pout And I almost considered picking two of the three stories I have in the works and posting a chapter of each so I **could** qualify, but as I hope you remember, I refuse to post stories without a title, and as I've clarified before, since I have not finished these stories, I refuse to give them a title. I just can't think of a good title if the story isn't finished. It's the way I am. So I'm missing out because of my unmatchable stubbornness. sigh Oh well, enough of my complaining, on with the story. Just a warning, some parts of this part are sorta corny, but I think Vegeta and Bulma are entitled to their corny moments too. And thanks for all the comments! Keep 'em coming. Speaking of comments, yes Arwen Bulma, Vegeta does get a television in his room. I mean, come on. It made sense to me since the Briefs are so rich. And back to the story…

******

A Shelter From My Storm

Part 6

One evening two months later, Vegeta sat up on his bed watching television as he tried to get to sleep, but even though he felt tired he was having a hard time getting some sleep. Restlessly, he flipped through the channels with his remote.

"Damn Earth television. Never anything good on." He growled before settling on a movie that seemed to have no plot. It did, however, contain many explosions that Vegeta enjoyed, though he scoffed at the size and quality of said explosions.

knock knock

"Who's there?" Vegeta snapped immediately.

"Me." A female voice replied, only a little shaky.

"Woman? What's wrong?" Vegeta cocked his eyebrow and sat up straight.

"Can I come in?" Bulma asked quietly.

"If you want." Vegeta replied in a begrudging tone. Bulma entered the room as Vegeta watched her closely. "Is there something wrong woman?" he asked. Bulma smiled at his voice as he tried unsuccessfully to sound aloof.

"Nothing's wrong." She shook her head. Bulma glanced at the television and gestured toward it, "What are you watching?"

"Nothing." Vegeta replied, shrugging in defeated acceptance of the fact that he wouldn't be able to find anything better to watch.

"Could I watch too?" Bulma asked, giggling slightly.

"Suit yourself." He nodded. She smiled and sat down next to him. Over the past couple of months, she had managed to convince herself that Vegeta probably did care about her, despite his moods and airs. Now that she had stopped trying so hard to hate the man, she saw that he didn't seem to live only to make her suffer. He possessed a sharp, quick wit that she had to enjoy even though he often used it against her. Also, Vegeta had a certain charm to him that was inexplicable. He certainly made no _attempts_ at being charming. Vegeta also seemed strangely handsome to Bulma. She couldn't explain it, but Bulma could feel herself falling for Vegeta again, though this time she was more aware of her feelings.

Vegeta watched Bulma from the corners of his eyes. Her face was happy and smiling. She seemed to glow in her good health and pregnancy. That woman was so…so…He didn't know the right words, he never saw anyone this way before. Vegeta tried to remember other words he had heard to describe the way she looked. Beautiful? He wasn't sure, but it was close. Vegeta wondered at her recent good temper. Perhaps pregnancy did that to human females. At the thought of Bulma's condition he couldn't help but look down at her abdomen. She did not show yet, but soon enough she would, Vegeta was quite sure. Bulma's hand rested on her stomach nonetheless, as though protecting her tiny occupant. Bulma caught him looking at her stomach and grinned at him warmly. Vegeta saw that she had noticed where he was looking and he quickly looked away.

Still smiling, Bulma slowly lifted her hand from her stomach and gently used it to lift Vegeta's own far hand and set it softly on her stomach. Bulma covered his hand with her own and smiled a bit wider at the wide-eyed expression of shock on his face.

"M-my son…is in there…but how can he?" Vegeta muttered, mostly to himself, obviously impressed.

"Amazing, isn't it?" Bulma watched him warmly.

"I guess I…never really thought…" Vegeta continued quietly.

"Wait a few months. You'll be able to feel him kicking." Bulma promised. "I must admit, I am a little nervous at the thought of a tiny Vegeta training inside of me." She laughed. This comment brought Vegeta back to reality and he chuckled smugly.

"Yes, I'm sure he will be strong. And a great warrior as well." Vegeta pointed his chin out in pride.

"Who knows what he will be able to do with your training and my teaching." Bulma leaned back comfortably into Vegeta's chest as he put his free arm around her shoulder. "He could be a brilliant scientist or a brave warrior," Bulma yawned before continuing, "or both. Anything he wants." She felt her eyelids falling as her voice faded tiredly. Vegeta was being affected by the somnolent atmosphere as well. He blinked wearily, fighting a losing battle against his fatigue.

"Bulma?" came his weary voice.

"Hmm?" she mumbled, almost asleep by now.

"I still don't understand you." He told her, his eyes closing slowly.

"I know. I don't understand you either." She muttered, almost inaudible, before they both fell asleep as they leaned against each other.

------------------------------

Mrs. Briefs hummed busily as she made breakfast the next morning while everyone else was still asleep. As she poured pancake batter onto the sizzling skillet, Bulma's mother heard knocking at the front door.

"Just one moment!" came her cheery reply as she set down the bowl of batter and wiped floury hands off on her frilly pink apron. She made her way to the door and grinned broadly when she saw who her visitor was. "Goku!"

"Uh, hi Mrs. Briefs." Goku smiled back after a moment. "Is Vegeta here?" he leaned forward, looking over her shoulders for the short-tempered prince.

"He is, but I'm afraid Vegeta is still asleep." Mrs. Briefs informed him in her sing-song voice. "You boys can play later."

"Oh, okay." Goku nodded in obvious disappointment, "I guess I'll just come back later today."

"Nonsense!" she batted a hand at him flirtatiously, "He'll be up soon enough. You and I could just visit while you wait. I was just making breakfast so-"

"Breakfast?" Goku's eyes lit up immediately as his stomach rumbled in enthusiasm.

"Yes." Mrs. Briefs giggled at the ravenous Saiyan, "You can have some as well, if you like." But Goku was already patiently seated at the table, a fork in one hand and a knife in the other as he raptly watched the pancakes sizzling on the skillet.

"Great!" he exclaimed happily as she returned to the kitchen as well, "I'm starving!"

"Starving?" Mrs. Briefs looked at him in concern, "Doesn't ChiChi feed you at home?"

"Yes, of course she does." Goku answered with a perplexed look on his face that said he had no idea what that had to do with the fact that he was still hungry. "Why wouldn't she?"

"Never mind." She giggled at Goku once again. "So you wanted to come see Vegeta?" she asked.

"Yeah, I wanted to spar." Goku explained, watching with extreme interest as Mrs. Briefs flipped a pancake.

"You two sure do spar a lot." She commented.

"It's fun and good training." Goku replied, eyes still glued to the food.

"So did he tell you about Bulma and him yet?" Mrs. Briefs asked. She was curious about the specifics of Vegeta and Bulma's relationship. All she knew was the information she had inferred from observations or conversation. Neither her daughter nor the cocky Saiyan had told her anything as of yet, though Bulma had practically admitted to sleeping with Vegeta when Mrs. Briefs had alluded to it.

"They fight a lot and he thinks she is silly and weak?" Goku was confused as to what Mrs. Briefs was referring to.

"No, no Goku!" she giggled, "Silly man! No, I mean their _relationship_." Bulma's mother clarified.

"What relationship?" Goku asked innocently, "I thought that they hated each other."

"Not anymore." Mrs. Briefs was disappointed that Goku had no new gossip to offer, but she loved to tell people juicy tidbits like this one first. "After Bulma dumped Yamcha, she got together with Vegeta!"

"What do you mean?" Goku gave her a blank stare. Mrs. Briefs sighed in exasperation before scuttling over to where Goku was sitting. She leaned over and whispered to him in a clandestine voice.

"They _slept_ together." She told him candidly. There was a long pause before she sighed in relief as she saw realization dawn slowly over Goku's face.

"Oh!" he grinned knowingly, "You mean Vegeta and Bulma…" Goku blushed before he could continue and Mrs. Briefs nodded affirmation to the conclusion Goku had obviously reached. "Really? Huh, I didn't see _that_ one coming!" he shrugged off his amazement.

"What didn't you see, Kakarot?" Vegeta suddenly came down the stairs and strolled into the kitchen, glaring at Goku as usual.

"Oh, hi Vegeta!" Goku greeted the other Saiyan, seemingly oblivious to the hateful glare aimed at him. "Mrs. Briefs here was just telling me the news about Bulma and you! Actually, now that I think about it, that makes sense, since Trunks said that-"

"What!?" Vegeta burst out in shock, "Who told you about the child!?" he demanded in a threatening voice, turning to face Mrs. Briefs.

"Child?" Mrs. Briefs cocked her head to the side in confusion. Then her eyes suddenly went wide in comprehension, "Oh! That must be what Oolong was raving about!"

"What do you mean?" Goku asked. He was smiling, happy that he was not as confused as before now that he recalled all that Mirai Trunks had confided in him.

"Well, a couple of months ago, I was doing some dishes when that silly little pig ran out of the house yelling something about Bulma being…'knocked up'…Yes, I believe that's what he said. I didn't think about it as more than nonsense at the time, but now it makes sense!" Bulma's mother explained as Bulma herself began down the stairs. Bulma had not heard any of the conversation so far, and she had a bubbly smile on her face as she entered the suddenly silent kitchen.

"Good morning everyone!" Bulma greeted them. At that moment, she noticed that everyone was silently staring at her. Goku had a knowing smile on his face, her mother looked surprised, and Vegeta looked extremely mortified. Bulma laughed nervously, "What's wrong?" she asked. Vegeta growled and turned back to face Mrs. Briefs, breaking the silence.

"But how did that idiot pig know!?" he asked the older woman impatiently. Mrs. Briefs shrugged to indicate ignorance of that detail.

"What are you talking about?" Bulma centered her inquiry on Vegeta.

"The brat!" Vegeta exclaimed, "They know about him!"

"Y-you do?" Bulma paled considerably and sat down in shock.

"Yes, we do." Mrs. Briefs began carrying food over to the table, "How far along are you?"

"Three months." Bulma answered.

"Does Yamcha know?" Goku asked.

"Yes, I told him all about it." She replied.

"Is that where you were when you told me you had been with that weakling all night?" Vegeta asked, a smug smile forming on his lips.

"Yes." Bulma admitted.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Mrs. Briefs wanted to know. Bulma shrugged.

"I don't know. It just made me nervous to think of what your reactions would be." Bulma replied honestly.

"So, Vegeta," Goku winked quite overtly at the other Saiyan, "are you two going to get married now?" Vegeta's eyes widened in shock at the unexpected question.

"We haven't talked about that yet." Bulma quickly put in, "We're still just trying to get things figured out right now." After this, there was almost complete silence as they ate. After the meal was devoured, mostly by the two Saiyans, Vegeta and Goku left to spar. Mrs. Briefs and Bulma watched them go while Vegeta told Goku how badly he'd be slaughtered this time.

"What an odd man." Bulma's mother finally commented.

"Too true." Bulma said under her breath, too quiet for the other woman to hear, "But Kami knows I love him."

***The End (Of part 6, that is)*** 


	7. Default Chapter Title

Okay, here's part 7. I just wanted everyone out there to know that when these parts take a long time in coming out, it's for these three reasons, or a combination of them. First, school work. This one shouldn't be a problem during the next week since it's spring break, but pretty soon I'm going on vacation to somewhere where there is no Internet readily available for my use. Second, my brother. If any of you people know what astromudd is, suffice it to say that the boy is addicted to it. Thoroughly addicted. And I can't just camp out at the computer to assure that I'll be able to use it. Thankfully, the boy has mono right now, so I can usually wake up earlier than him and stake my claim on the computer. But the second I get up for food or something, he takes it. And third, sometimes the fanfiction network messes up or something and it takes me many attempts over the course of several days to submit my work successfully. Ah well, just wanted you guys to know. Now, on with the story…

*****

That night, Bulma woke up and couldn't get back to sleep. She glanced at her digital clock. 2:07 a.m. Bulma groaned inwardly and decided to get herself a glass of water. Perhaps that would help her get to sleep. She groggily pulled on a robe over her nightgown and slid her feet into her slippers before making her way downstairs and to the kitchen as quietly as she could possibly manage. Bulma didn't want to wake anyone up at this time of night. She was standing in the kitchen drinking her water when she realize that she hadn't turned on any lights, yet she was having no trouble seeing. After looking for the source of the light, Bulma noticed that pale moonlight was seeping in the windows. It must be a bright moon to make so much light. She considered going outside to look at it. It had been a long time since she had seen a full moon. The last time had been right after they used the dragon balls to wish the moon back. She walked to the sliding glass door which opened to the back patio before stopping dead in her tracks. Bulma set her empty glass down as she smiled curiously. Out on the patio, leaning against the railing and staring into the sky, was Vegeta.

What could he be doing up at this hour? Could he be stargazing? Bulma almost laughed at the thought of Vegeta taking pleasure in a simple thing like stargazing. But he _was_ staring at the sky intently and…sadly? Was she hallucinating or did Vegeta actually look sad? Or lonely? Bulma wasn't accustomed to reading Vegeta's facial expressions. Usually, he only had two: angry and really angry. But she could definitely sense something sad about the mighty prince. After some deliberation, Bulma slid the door open and stepped out to join him.

Vegeta head snapped around in shock at the sound of Bulma opening the door and walking out onto the patio. He tried desperately to compose his surprised expression when she walked over to him casually and leaned against the railing right next to him, turning her face skyward.

"Beautiful night." She commented. He tore his eyes from her lovely face and also looked up at the stars.

"Hmph" was his indignant reply. She turned an amused face toward Vegeta as he continued looking at the night sky.

"If you disagree, what are you doing out here at two in the morning?" she asked him, smiling wryly.

"It…it is different." Vegeta commented.

"What is?" Bulma turned her attention back to the dark sky sparkling with stars.

"The sky." Came his answer, sounding almost…wistful?

"You mean the constellations have moved?" Bulma guessed logically.

"No, the view." Vegeta corrected, "It is different from that on Vegeta-sai."

"Well, of course it is." Bulma couldn't laugh at the comment though. There was something in the way Vegeta had said it that made her feel sympathetic instead of incredulous.

"That's the last time I looked at the stars." Vegeta recalled. "When I was on Vegeta-sai. My father would point out all the systems he had reign over. I knew all their names and a lot of the ones that didn't belong to us as well."

"Is that why you were looking at the sky?" Bulma asked, "To look at all the systems you would own?"

"No." Vegeta admitted, "I was trying to figure which system is the one where Vegeta-sai was located."

"Did you find it?" Bulma asked.

"There. I think that's the system." Vegeta pointed to a faint star close to two others. "But I can't be sure. It's hard to think of the sky in three dimensions and rotate the view in one's mind."

"It was so far away." Bulma squinted at the tiny pinprick of light. Then she turned her eyes to Vegeta, watching him closely for a reaction as she asked her next question. "Do you miss it?"

"Hmph." She watched him scowl as he stared at the sky. There was a long silence, and she was beginning to think that a grunt would be the only answer she would get out of him. Out of nowhere though, he continued. "I was prince of all Saiyans." His voice was quieter now, and though the rest of his face remained set in a typical, cold expression, Vegeta's dark eyes hinted at deep emotion. "With my father's training, I had the strong potential to be King of all Saiyans and ruler of countless planets. But Frieza feared the coming of a new Super Saiyan. So in his cowardice, he demolished almost all of the Saiyan race in one thoughtless action. Frieza decided the fate of all the Saiyans." A look of disgust flashed over his features. Then Vegeta paused, looking down at his hands with a weary expression, "Now I have but two subjects, one of which is more powerful than I, and both of which have little or no fear or respect for me." There was another short pause. "I should be there right now." He jabbed his finger at the distant star. "It was not supposed to end this way." Vegeta turned away, ashamed at what had been an extreme emotional outburst for him.

"Vegeta-" Bulma began after some thought.

"I need to get some rest, woman." Vegeta turned to leave, but Bulma firmly grabbed his arm and he did not resist. She moved in front of him, blocking his intended path of escape.

"Just like you Vegeta." She smirked at his nervous face. "You can't just _admit_ that you miss it. You have to allude to the truth."

"Dammit woman! Don't start on-" Vegeta was stopped by Bulma's hand over his mouth. She pointed inside the house and wagged a finger at him.

"Tsk, tsk. People are trying to sleep. Show some consideration." She moved her hand from Vegeta's mouth to his cheek and he flinched at the contact, but set his expression again and allowed Bulma's hand to roam over his face.

Bulma said nothing, taking advantage of Vegeta's relatively allowing mood to reach up and gingerly touch his hair. Shocked at how natural it felt, she put her fingers in it, running them through the coarse strands and twirling a bit of it before letting the stubborn fibers return to their former position.

Tilting her head slightly in curiosity at his unresponsive behavior, Bulma stepped even close, lightly placing one hand on his chest to discover much to her satisfaction that his heart was beating furiously. She gave him a smirk and a slight chuckle, enjoying herself immensely. Vegeta was confused, and she delighted in every moment of it.

Bulma brought her face up to his, quickly brushing her lips over his chin. He leaned forward to kiss her, but she ducked her head out of the way, giggling. She waited until his unsure expression returned before leaning toward him again, only to give him a quick peck on the cheek before ducking her head away again.

Next she pressed her body against his firmly and leaned upward again. She brushed her lips over his, lightly flicking her tongue over the seam of his mouth. That did it.

Vegeta grabbed her waist with one hand, holding her head in place with the other as he leaned into the kiss hungrily. Bulma pushed back lightly when it felt as though he'd smash her body in his grip, and surprisingly Vegeta loosened his hold until she felt comfortable. When they finally broke, he swept her up in his arms and flew up to her window.

"Vegeta," she caused him to pause at her balcony doors. "I don't know if we should…because of the baby." She gave him a worried look. Vegeta grinned at her wickedly.

"As though _that_ is all we can do." He carried her into the room, almost forgetting to close the door behind him.

------------------------------

The next morning, Bulma woke up before Vegeta did and lightly kissed his peaceful face. His body stirred beneath hers and she lifted her head to look into his slowly opening eyes.

"Good morning Vegeta." She whispered into his ear nibbling delicately on the lobe.

"Yes it is." He rolled on top of her so he could kiss her neck and throat. She closed her eyes, enjoying his ministrations when a thought occurred to her.

"Vegeta?" she asked, slowly opening her eyes.

"Hmm?" he continued kissing her jaw line.

"Do you love me?" Bulma inquired.

"What do you mean?" Vegeta lifted himself slightly so that he could talk with her better.

"I mean, do you love me?" she replied, a bit hurt.

"No woman, what does that mean, that word?" Vegeta cocked an eyebrow curiously. Bulma almost burst out laughing at herself. She had again forgotten how new all of this was to Vegeta.

"Love?" she blushed, "Well, isn't there a Saiyan translation? Don't you know it?"

"Not that I recall. Many of your words do not exist in the Saiyan language." Vegeta explained, "Earth people rely far too much on words."

"Oh. Well," Bulma looked around searchingly as she tried to think of a way to explain the concept as Vegeta patiently waited. "It's really hard to explain, Vegeta. It…it's like a term of endearment. It is stronger than liking someone, but it has different meanings depending on whom you're referring to. Basically, it means that you feel a lot of affection for someone, and they are very important to you. Does that make sense to you?" Bulma asked hopefully. She didn't really know how to better explain it. He narrowed his eyes questioningly.

"What do you mean, it has different meanings?" he asked.

"Oh…Well Goku loves ChiChi, and he loves Gohan too. But it isn't the same type of relationship between Goku and Gohan as it is between Goku and ChiChi." Bulma explained. "I love you, Vegeta." She added, blushing deeply as she admitted it.

"I'll have to think about this." He considered, "I still don't quite understand. But when I know, I will tell you."

"Take you time." Bulma advised, reaching up to rub his face softly, "You want to be sure of it when you say it."

"Why?" Vegeta asked.

"It's just important. You have to be careful with how you use it, or it doesn't mean anything at all." She explained, smiling at him.

"Odd word." Vegeta commented before bending down to kiss her once again.

***The End (Of part 7, that is)***


	8. Default Chapter Title

Oooh, we're getting close to the end now! Exciting isn't it? Well, no, probably not. This isn't exactly an exciting and suspenseful story, but oh well, you get the picture. Well, no long introduction this time. I'll just get right into the story…

*****

A Shelter From My Storm

Part 8

Several months later, a very pregnant Bulma stood in the kitchen, making Vegeta's customary dinner sandwich. She winced slightly at the pain in her back as she leaned over to put the aforementioned sandwich in the refrigerator. Bulma sighed wearily as she made her way to the table where she sat with fatigue in a chair. She was not having a good day. First of all, she never really spent time with Vegeta anymore since he was so busy training for the arrival of the androids. Second, she was sore all over. Her back ached, her ankles were sore, not to mention the pain in her stomach! And that was the worst part, her swollen belly. She looked so enormous and bloated, it was disgusting.

As she sat there resting her weary body, Vegeta entered the kitchen and quickly grabbed his dinner. He sat at the table also, but did not acknowledge Bulma's presence. Anger rose in her as he rapidly finished his meal and began to get up to leave. To go train, no doubt.

"Vegeta, wait." She reached for his arm. Vegeta's eyebrow shot up in curiosity at this, "We need to talk."

"I have no time for your talking woman." Vegeta protested impatiently, "I must-"

"I know, I know! You must train, right?" she spat the words out, "Well, isn't that just convenient?! Mighty Vegeta! Ha! Can't even handle looking at big fat Bulma so you go hide in that damned gravity room!"

"What are you talking about?" Vegeta felt his temper growing short at the ludicrous accusations. "For one thing, I hide from no one, especially not weak human females! Furthermore, that is not fat on you, it is baby, you irrational woman!" Bulma's eyes went wide all of a sudden. The look on her face was not one of anger anymore, though. It was shock.

"Vegeta…we need to go now!" she told him as she ran into the other room, grabbing a packed suitcase.

"Where?" Vegeta asked in confusion at the change of subject.

"The hospital, you idiot!" she huffed back into the kitchen, lugging the baggage behind her, "My water just broke!"

"Hospital? Talk sense, woman! Water doesn't break! What are you saying?" he raved.

"I MEAN I'm having a baby NOW! So you better fly me to the HOSPITAL!!" she yelled in frustration. Vegeta stood in silent shock for a moment before obligingly lifting Bulma and her suitcase up and flying the frantic woman to the hospital.

------------------------------

"Dammit woman!" Vegeta commanded as he stood next to the panting, sweating Bulma's bed, "Let go of my hand!"

"Shut up Vegeta!" she screeched as a contraction hit. Medical staff bustled around her, "You got me into this, so you get to suffer too!"

"Don't I suffer enough already, putting up with all of your petty complaining and pouting!" Vegeta shot back.

"Are you her husband sir?" a nurse with a chart asked him quickly.

"Ha!" Bulma shouted, glaring at Vegeta. "As though I'd _ever_ marry this bastard!"

"Okay…but you _are_ the father, correct?" the nurse asked Vegeta.

"It's _her_ brat!" Vegeta growled at the nurse, "Don't ask me about it!"

"It's your son too, Vegeta!" she squeezed his hand as hard as she could, even though she knew she wasn't really hurting him at all. "Not as though _you_ care! All you care about is your damned training!"

"We need you to push now, Miss Briefs!" a doctor called to her, struggling to be heard over the argument.

"Aaargh!!" she screamed as she followed the order.

"Stupid woman, don't you see why I train?" Vegeta hissed indignantly.

"Yes!" she snapped back, "You think that some day, you may be stronger than Goku! What a joke!"

"Woman!" Vegeta snarled angrily, "I work to save this puny planet from those androids and all you can do is complain and mock me!"

"Push again, Miss Briefs!" came the order. Bulma cried out again as she obliged.

"Shut up Vegeta!" Bulma glared at him. "Don't pretend to care! You don't even acknowledge my existence anymore!"

"Push!"

"What do you mean?" Vegeta asked when Bulma stopped screaming again.

"You never say more than two words to me!" Bulma shouted angrily.

"Push!"

"Words are meaningless." He hissed at her after she stopped screaming. "They are just words. True meaning is found in action alone. You humans rely far too much on words."

"Push!"

"Well, what have you done in the past few months to show you even know I exist?!" Bulma demanded, panting.

"Push!"

"Well?!" she screamed at Vegeta.

"I had you fix the gravity machine not three weeks ago!" Vegeta shot back triumphantly.

"Push!"

"Oh boy Vegeta!" Bulma snapped sarcastically, "Way to make me feel special! Oh stop, I'm getting all misty-eyed!"

"Push!"

"Aaagh!!" Bulma pushed, "I hate you Vegeta! You did this to me!! Aaagh!"

"Don't worry sir, she doesn't mean it." A nurse advised Vegeta, "This is quite normal."

"Push!"

"What! Why should I care if the woman hates me!" Vegeta scowled at the nurse indignantly.

"That's the point Vegeta!" Bulma screeched, "You DON'T CARE!!" she sobbed as Vegeta looked away uncomfortably.

"Push!"

"Is that damned brat out of her yet?!" Vegeta angrily demanded, glaring dangerously at the doctor.

"Uh…N-no." the doctor looked up in fright at the Saiyan's vicious voice.

"Well get it out!" Vegeta roared, "I'm sick of this!"

"Push!" the doctor resumed his command, eyeing Vegeta warily.

"Why don't you just leave Vegeta!?" Bulma screamed as she pushed, "You don't care! So just LEAVE!" she continued to sob in pain and agony.

"Push!"

"Stop your blubbering woman!" Vegeta scowled at her impatiently, "Get that thing out of you and stop wasting my time!"

"Push!"

"Easy for you to say!" Bulma yelled in rage, "You aren't doing ANYTHING here except PISSING ME OFF!!"

"Push!"

"Damned weak woman." Vegeta growled under his breath, barely loud enough for Bulma to hear, "Can't do anything by yourself." Bulma was about to protest angrily when she felt a sudden surge of power enter her body, pouring in through her left hand, which held Vegeta's own hand in a vice grip. She looked up and saw a look of intense concentration on Vegeta's normally angry face. Suddenly, she realized that he was lending her some of his own immense power to aid in childbirth.

"Push!" yelled the doctor. And she did. But with Vegeta's power coursing through her, along with her own inherent strength, the formerly strenuous task became considerably less taxing. She continued to stare at Vegeta in amazed graciousness. Bulma couldn't believe it. Vegeta was giving her his own energy to ease her pain. Maybe he did care after all.

"Push!" Bulma repeated her efforts, not allowing her eyes to leave Vegeta's face. His own eyes were shut in his concentrated efforts to give her enough energy to aid this process, but not so much that her body was damaged by the sudden power surge, so he was not aware of her scrutiny.

"The head is crowning! Push again!" the doctor called out. Bulma inhaled deeply and pushed hard. She grunted slightly as nurses bustled around in excitement.

"Push!" Bulma bit her lip to keep from crying out as she gave another mighty push.

"Okay, just one more big push should do it!" encouraged the doctor. Bulma closed her eyes and squeezed Vegeta's hand. She could use his help on this one, and she was glad when she felt a bit of an augmentation in the strength of the energy flowing into her. She pushed with all of the power she could muster, then ended her efforts and opened her eyes happily as she heard the loud squalling of a newborn baby. Relieved laughter escaped her lips in tired gasps as her eyes closed again, resting momentarily as she let go of Vegeta's hand.

"Would you like to cut the cord?" the doctor offered Vegeta a pair of medical scissors, which he ignored. The Saiyan instead lifted his hand up and let loose a tiny, weak ki blast, severing the umbilical cord cleanly and scorching a small hole in the wall behind it.

"Don't mind if I do." Vegeta sneered at the frightened doctor.

"Y-your s-s-son." The trembling doctor offered Vegeta the cleaned and swaddled child. Vegeta snatched the infant up quickly with one hand.

"Give me that before you drop it, you pathetic weakling." Vegeta smirked as he held the baby in his outstretched hand. He regarded his noisy son for a moment. "Damned brat, as loud as your mother, aren't you?"

"Uh…perhaps you'd like me to show you how to hold th-" a nurse stepped forward cautiously. Vegeta cut her off by sending a weak blast right past her head.

"Leave!" he commanded. The medical staff quickly evacuated the room, leaving Vegeta and Bulma alone with their newborn son.

"Vegeta?" Bulma called to him from her bed.

"What do you want now, woman?" Vegeta spun his head around.

"Can I see him?" she asked, too happy to be upset with Vegeta's brusque response. Vegeta walked over and set the baby softly down in her eager arms. She drew the warm bundle close. "Oh, he's so perfect! Look at him Vegeta."

"Hmph." He scowled at the child who had finally quieted.

"He has your face!" Bulma exclaimed in delight. "Look at that mouth! And those cheeks!" she cooed at the infant, "Are you a little Saiyan like your daddy? Yes you are!"

"Hmph." Vegeta grunted again. "He's hardly a proper Saiyan. Look at his hair! Your damned human genes ruined it woman!"

"What's wrong with his hair? I think it's beautiful." She softly caressed the lavender down on the baby's head. Vegeta poked it in disgust.

"It's soft! It probably won't grow like a proper royal Saiyan's hair should at all!" Vegeta pointed to his own gravity-defying hair as a sample for comparison, "It isn't even the right color!"

"But Vegeta, he's not _full_ Saiyan." She reminded him patiently, "He's human too."

"He should be much stronger than Kakarot's brat, considering his bloodline." Vegeta stated proudly. They remained silent for a few moments as the child fell asleep in Bulma's arms.

"Vegeta," Bulma reached out with her free hand, finding Vegeta's own hand and grasping it, "thank you for helping me."

"I just wanted to speed things up." Vegeta attempted to sound indifferent. "I didn't want to waste my time here."

"Then why are you still here?" Bulma grinned at him smugly. She had seen right through him, one of the few times she had been able to read him.

Silence.

"I love you Vegeta." She pulled his hand to her face and kissed it softly. "You love me too, don't you?" she held the hand against her face.

More silence.

"It's okay Vegeta." She smiled slightly, kissing his palm. "I know you do. And when you finally find the strength to admit it to me, oh Mighty Vegeta, " she giggled lightly, "I'll be here, waiting to hear those words." She pulled his arm so that his face was above hers.

"Woman!" he finally found words. "Don't presume to know what I-"

"Oh, shut up." She cut him off, giggling once more as she pulled him down until their lips met.

***The End (Of part 8, that is)***


	9. Default Chapter Title

Okay, so I'm thinking I'll write this part and then write the next part and that will be the end. So ten parts all together. This one will be a little shorter than usual, but have patience. Thanks for all the comments, keep them coming! And I already have a sort of sequel mulling around in my mind. But I don't know if I should start writing it yet, considering the fact that I'm in the midst of three other stories as well as a collaboration with jade. Be sure to check that one out when we put it out. She already came up with a title, it'll be called "The Best of Both Worlds" and it'll be a sort of alternate reality DBZ fanfic. It's really cool, so check it out. We'll probably start putting out parts a week or so after I finish this series. Okay, so on with the story…

********* 

A Shelter From My Storm

Part 9

A few days later, Bulma drove home with Vegeta and the baby. The child had been named Trunks after Goku explained who this child was and would be. Vegeta had been rather irked by this turn of events for two main reasons. Firstly, Kakarot had known all along that Vegeta would produce a brat with that woman, while Vegeta had not. Secondly, Vegeta had planned on naming the child Vegeta, as was tradition in the Saiyan royal bloodline. He claimed that he didn't approve of the silly human name in the least, but he would allow it since his son was already ruined beyond salvation by that woman's impure human genes.

Other than Goku coming to tell them about Trunks, no one had visited the hospital or had seen baby Trunks at all. Vegeta was still at the hospital because he hadn't left, claiming that he didn't trust the weak, incompetent hospital staff to care for his brat or his mate. Bulma didn't press the subject. She was so amazed that Vegeta would give up a full few days of training time for Trunks and her that she didn't want to push her luck. She didn't even get angry when Vegeta commented on how even the horrible hospital food was good compared to _her_ cooking.

When the three of them returned to Capsule Corporation, they were met by Bulma's parents as well as all of the other Z warriors, who were eager (in varying degrees) to see the chibi version of the silvery-lavender haired warrior from the future.

"Ooh, Bulma honey! Vegeta! You're home!" Mrs. Briefs immediately latched onto Vegeta's arm, pulling him into the house. The prince was too surprised by the cheery woman's unexpected assault to resist this treatment. Bulma chuckled at the look on his face while she followed them in, cradling the swaddled Trunks in her arms protectively.

"Bulma, where's that grandson of mine?" Dr. Briefs peered eagerly at the small bundle from across the room.

"Yes, let's see him." ChiChi encouraged. Everyone closed in to get a look, but they stayed back a little bit as they noted the threatening glare Vegeta was shooting all of them with from where he stood behind Bulma. He was much more composed now that he had extricated himself from the flirtatious Mrs. Briefs' grip. Goku was fidgeting excitedly and ChiChi had to hold his arm tightly to keep him relatively still. Yamcha cocked an eyebrow at the over enthusiastic Saiyan.

"Goku, didn't you already _see_ the baby?" Yamcha asked.

"Yeah, but that was two whole days ago!" Goku continued to hop about as ChiChi rolled her eyes and shook her head at her childish husband. Bulma giggled in giddy pride before she slowly unwrapped Trunks' blanket and held the pajama-clad infant up for inspection.

"Ooh!" squealed ChiChi and Mrs. Briefs simultaneously.

"Aww, he looks like a cute little baby Vegeta!" exclaimed Goku, ignoring the venomous glare Vegeta was focusing on the simple-minded Saiyan.

"His eyes are like yours, but stuck into Vegeta's face." Yamcha observantly told Bulma.

"Where's his tail?" Tien asked in confusion.

"We had it removed." Bulma replied, "I didn't want my baby turning into that monster whenever there was a full moon. Right Vegeta?"

"Hmph." Was the only reply Vegeta offered.

"He's cute, don't you think so Mr. Piccolo?" Gohan looked up at his Namekian mentor who was too busy relishing in Vegeta's obvious discomfort to notice Gohan's query.

"Can I hold him?" Goku asked Bulma in wide-eyed excitement.

"Well of course you ca-" Bulma began before Vegeta stood between Goku and Bulma protectively.

"No!" Vegeta protested.

"Oh, why not Vegeta? Goku's a father, he's handled babies before. He knows how to hold Trunks." Bulma spoke to Vegeta in a soothing tone. Goku enthusiastically nodded his head in assent.

"I will _not_ allow it!" Vegeta crossed his arms stubbornly, "That is my brat! He is of royal Saiyan blood! And I will not have some lowly, third-class warrior putting his filthy, inferior hands on _my_ brat!"

"But I thought you didn't care." Bulma commented casually as she made her way around Vegeta.

"I…I don't!" Vegeta stammered momentarily. "Do as you wish! It makes no difference to me! I just wanted you to know that it is hardly proper!"

"Well, since when did propriety matter to you?" Bulma smirked at the silent, scowling Saiyan as she handed Trunks to Goku. Goku immediately began to tickle the child, who appeared to be delighted with the other Saiyan's odd hair. Vegeta grimaced in disgust at how friendly Kakarot was acting with _his_ child. Bulma's triumphant smirk softened as she saw Vegeta growling and clenching his teeth in an attempt to quell his anger. She stepped up to him and lightly placed a hand on his tensely crossed arms. He turned his attention to her with a small grunt of surprise. Smiling, she leaned up slightly until her mouth was right next to his ear.

"It'll be okay Vegeta. I know this is all new to you." She whispered. "A lot of it is new to me too. But we'll learn together, okay?" she paused, a devious grin forming on her lips. "Poor Vegeta, you've been deprived for nine months. But I'm not pregnant anymore. And my parents are going out tonight…" she gave him a quick peck on the cheek, not wanting to embarrass him too badly in front of the others, though they were all watching Trunks at the moment.

Vegeta smiled briefly at Bulma before setting his face into its customary scowl as he turned his attention back to the others. Bulma noted the alarm flashing in Vegeta's eyes as Goku began to toss Trunks up in the air, catching the chortling baby on the way down. She decided not to push it any further.

"That's enough, Goku." Bulma smoothly took her son back from the elated Goku.

"Thanks Bulma!" Goku turned to ChiChi, putting an arm around her shoulder. "I like babies. Maybe we should have another one ChiChi!" he suggested enthusiastically. ChiChi blushed furiously before thwacking the Goku's unsuspecting head with her swift hand. "What?" he rubbed his head in surprise. ChiChi glared at him in embarrassment as almost everyone else laughed at their friend.

***The End (Of Part 9, That Is)***


	10. Default Chapter Title

Okay everyone, here it is, part 10 for your enjoyment! It took me a little while because spring break ended and school struck back with a vengeance, but it's done now. I know you just want to skip my little spiel here and go straight to the good stuff, but I just wanted to thank some people/things for helping me out with this story. First, I want to thank me. Without me, I couldn't have written this story. Also, my notebook for never getting lost (believe me, it's happened to me before). And countless black pens who were sacrificed in the process of writing this story. I refuse to write with anything but black pens. I would also like to thank jade, one of the authors here at fanfiction.net who was hearing my story before you guys ever read any of it. And she sat there in my room with me, although I don't think she minded this too much. But sometimes, she brought me food and/or drink as I sat there chewing on the end of one of my pens and writing or thinking. Also, I'd like to thank my heater vent that I always sit on while I write, whether or not it's on and even though it gives me a cramp in my back later. I must also thank gummy bears and Jelly Belly jellybeans and Pizzalicious Pringles for being my brain food while I wrote, and cranberry raspberry cocktail juice for quenching my thirst and never spilling on my notebook which it would have probably stained and caused the pages to stick together. I would also like to thank all of you who have read and/or commented on my story. You may not have helped me in the original writing since it was all written already, but you did motivate me to keep typing and submitting parts no matter how many times the computer screwed up and made me resubmit. Also very important to thank would be Akira Toriyama, the genius, the god (or at least one of those sub-gods) and the creator of DragonballZ. If he had never created his wonderful Dragonballs, where would I be, indeed, where would any of us be? I must also thank whoever is the North American voice actor for Vegeta, I don't know their name, but I must definitely thank them as well. That voice is so damn cool. I think it was one of the things that brought me to hold Vegeta in high esteem when I had once stood screaming at my television, "No, dammit Goku, you idiot! Krillin, don't listen to him! Don't let that pointy-haired bastard go! Don't f#$*ing do it! KILL HIM! FOR THE LOVE OF KAMI, DAMMIT, KILL HIM!!!" Whoo, got a little carried away on that one. I must also thank my television for never breaking when DBZ was on, which would have probably caused me to have a nervous breakdown and smash the television. Also, thank you Primestar by Direct TV (even though we STILL haven't been switched to Direct TV, dammit satellite changer guy, where the hell are you?!) because without my satellite service, I would have probably never discovered DBZ because damned Falcon Cable doesn't let us have Cartoon Network. Also, I have to thank the Primestar customer service people, because this one time, the satellite decided to break about two hours before DBZ was going to be on, and the customer service people helped our family fix it, and I didn't miss DBZ. I also want to thank Funimation *ducks overripe tomatoes and rotten eggs being tossed at her* I know, I know. A lot of us complain about things like little conveniently placed trees in the Tree of Might, and all the times the characters, (especially Vegeta) have said "Shoot" "Darn it" and my personal favorite, in the episode where Namek blows up, "Aw man, piece of junk" (Yeah I just BET that's what Goku said). But I know that if Funimation never dubbed DBZ, I would have probably never discovered it. Lastly and probably most importantly, I would like to thank two things: my old CD player for never busting as it sat beside me on the floor where I wrote, and especially Creed. The entire time I wrote this story, I listened to Creed's new CD, Human Clay over and over and over again. Once I tried to listen to Blink 182 or Korn or something different, but I could never write unless Creed was playing. And near the end of the story, I must have listened to "With Arms Wide Open" and "Higher" themselves at least a hundred times. Speaking of which, I must also thank the repeat button specifically. Without my music, this story never would have been. Okay, now I'll shut up so you can read the end of the story, if you didn't already skip the introduction because you saw how obnoxiously long I made it. And now to our conclusion…

**********

A Shelter From My Storm

Part 10

Several months later, Bulma groaned wearily as she awoke to the familiar sound of Trunks squalling from the next room. She stumbled out of bed and made her way to his nursery. Once there, Bulma groggily lifted the wailing baby up and out of his crib, holding his small body to her while making sure to support his head. He continued his loud bawling as she rocked him gently. It had been this way for quite some time. Vegeta wasn't much help, he didn't seem interested in learning _how_ to help. All he did was train, even though the threat of the Androids had been defeated a while ago. As Bulma listened to the crying baby in her arms, immense frustration and fatigue caused her to consider seriously the idea of sobbing right along with him. Just then, she heard footsteps approaching in the brief silence as Trunks paused for breath. Bulma turned slightly to see a very cranky-looking Vegeta standing in the doorway. He was wearing only boxers and it was obvious that he had just woken up.

"What's going on in here!?" Vegeta demanded as Trunks continued screaming.

"That's a stupid question." Bulma glared at Vegeta viciously, "Trunks woke up again."

"Well, shut him up, woman!" he snarled, "I need my rest."

"_You_ need your rest?" she scoffed. "Do you have any idea how much sleep I've been getting? Not that you ever help with Trunks at all anyway. You know, he _is_ your son too."

"I don't do these things. That's for you to manage." Vegeta protested indignantly.

"Well maybe you should learn how." Bulma shot back at him icily.

"It doesn't matter if _I_ know how to do that." Vegeta pointed imperiously at Bulma and the now quieting Trunks. "I am above such things. That is why it is your responsibility."

"Oh really? You're above compassion and caring?" Bulma asked angrily, "Above cooperation and family? Above feeling or showing _any_ love for your own son _or_ me?" she paused as Vegeta stood in shocked silence. He hadn't expected this type of resistance and he was at a loss for once. Her intensely angry face faded into a pained and exhausted one of resignation. "Well I always thought you were. I had my hopes, but I guess I'm still young and foolish, no matter what I'd like to believe." She sighed and continued in a tired voice. "Oh well. I guess I'll learn. Go to bed. I'll take care of the baby." Bulma turned away so he couldn't see the tears spilling from her eyes. He'd just laugh at her if he saw that she was crying again, and she hurt enough already without his ridicule.

Vegeta wasn't sure at all what he should do. One minute she was yelling at him, the next she was quietly giving in. So he simply did as she had asked and went back to his bed. But for some reason, sleep wouldn't come easily. His throat and chest felt tight and made it hard for him to breathe for some reason. Finally, after a long while of tossing and turning, the Saiyan prince fell into a fitful sleep.

------------------------------

A few days later, Vegeta was just going to bed after a late training session. It was quite late indeed, so he was quiet as he floated upstairs. Before he went into his own room, he peeked into Bulma's. She had been avoiding him, so he hadn't really seen her since the incident a few nights ago. She was in bed, so he floated into her room, landing softly at her bedside. He saw her normally lovely face and scowled a bit in displeasure. She looked horrible.

Her eyes were dark and sunken with bags underneath them. He noted the tear streaks on her cheeks and realized that she had been crying. Her hair, usually soft, sleek, and shiny, was now dull and matted.

That brat must be sucking the life out of her, Vegeta thought darkly. Suddenly, he heard a wail rising in volume and pitch from the next room. Without thinking, he left Bulma's room quickly and silently, then entered the nursery.

Vegeta paused and hesitated when he reached the crib, trying to remember exactly what it was that the woman did to make the brat shut up and go back to sleep. After a moment or two of contemplation, he twisted his face slightly in distaste as he awkwardly lifted the child, who continued to cry loudly.

"Well?" he held Trunks at arm's length, "Shut up, brat!" Trunks continued bawling and reached for Vegeta with flailing arms. The Saiyan saw this and realized with annoyance what the baby wanted. "Very well." He grumbled grudgingly as he pulled the child to his body. After an awkward moment, he wrapped his arms around Trunks and held the child's head up with one strong but gentle hand. Vegeta grimaced slightly as he began to sway slowly back and forth as he had seen the woman do, but Trunks quieted almost immediately, so Vegeta continued rocking back and forth.

Bulma rolled out of bed reluctantly after she was woken by Trunks' wails, but stopped in her weary routine of pulling on robe and slippers when the crying suddenly quieted and then stopped all together. Bulma began to worry almost at once, so she quickly padded to the nursery, her robe still open. Her eyes widened in surprise as she saw Vegeta, his back to her, swaying back and forth as he held Trunks. She blinked and rubbed her eyes to be sure that she wasn't hallucinating. Just then, Vegeta gently placed the sleeping baby back in his crib. Bulma softly walked up to her lover and wrapped her arms around his waist as he watched Trunks. Vegeta's body immediately stiffened at the contact, but once he realized who it was, he began to relax and turned around to face her. A few tears spilled down her pale cheeks as she smiled up at his confused and surprised face.

"Thank you Veggie-chan." She leaned toward him so he could hear the whisper. Bulma tilted her face up and kissed his lips softly. He responded and held her against him gently, as though he was afraid of hurting her. When they broke, Bulma gave him a puzzled look. "Are you feeling all right?" she whispered, not wanting to wake their son, "I liked that, but it wasn't what you _usually_ do."

"I'm fine." He whispered back reassuringly. "Now go to bed." Bulma grinned wickedly. So _that's_ what this was all about.

"Are you coming?" she asked enticingly, raising a turquoise eyebrow. Vegeta didn't answer. Instead, he swept her up and carried her off to her room. Once there, he deposited her on her bed gently and covered her up with blankets. Bulma was a bit confused by this, as he was not making any attempts to join her. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing. Now go to sleep woman." He told her seriously. Vegeta made as if to leave, but Bulma caught his arm and pulled him back. "What?" he demanded. She pulled him down into a long kiss.

"Come on, Veggie-chan." Bulma pouted after they broke apart. She could see in his eyes that he desperately wanted to do more than kiss her, but he was holding back for some reason.

"You…you need your rest." Vegeta managed, his voice wavering a little bit. Bulma suddenly realized he was trying to help her, and she knew he was right.

"A-are you…_concerned_?" Bulma whispered, his face still inches from hers.

"I…" Vegeta struggled, "You are weak, woman. I must take care or you will end up hurting yourself." He managed.

"But you don't want anything back from me?" she alluded to what he had just refused.

"You do things," he replied, "you clean, you attempt to cook, you fix the gravity room, you even bore my son." His voice cracked with formerly unexpressed emotions.

"You notice all those things?" Bulma felt tears filling her eyes again. "I thought you took all that for granted."

"Do you think I am stupid?" Vegeta smirked slightly, smoothing her hair away from her face, "I haven't always had someone around to care for me, even when I refuse the care."

"But I thought you didn't care about what I did." Bulma admitted. "I didn't think you cared about me."

"I…" Vegeta growled in frustration at not knowing the right words. "I don't know how to explain. You strengthen me. Your…way. It is so different than mine. We are opposites, but we are the same. You are…you are the shelter from my storm, my…pain." Then he remembered something, "I love you Bulma." He told her matter-of-factly. At that Bulma let out a huge sob, tears spilling down her cheeks in joy and relief. Vegeta softly wiped each tear away with his thumb, cupping the side of her face in his other hand.

"I love you too Vegeta." She kissed his face repeatedly. "Kami, I've waited so long for you to say that to me."

"That-that word." Vegeta considered thoughtfully, "It isn't right."

"What do you mean?" Bulma sounded slightly upset and confused.

"It isn't good enough." He explained, "You humans, always putting so much meaning into silly words." He leaned in and kissed her passionately, letting his actions reveal how he felt about her. Bulma sighed in happy contentment as he pulled away. He loved her! She had been almost positive that he did, but it felt so good to hear him say it. He was right about words and their meanings though, she knew. "Now sleep, woman." He left her room and closed the door softly. She closed her eyes and quickly fell into a long, refreshing rest. Things would be better now. She didn't have to be so unsure around Vegeta. He loved her. There was no way he would admit to such a thing if it weren't true. She loved him. And now, they had a beautiful baby boy to raise. Together.

***The End***

(Really, I mean it this time)


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